Thorn Rose
by Thorn Samarra Rose
Summary: There was no peace for the young witch at her beginning. She was linked to the Dark Lord and sworn to aid him. Or did she? This is the story of an emotionless girl with little more than an uncle and a flying lizard. Can she change her so-called fate?
1. Murder so Young

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters in it. Everything in here that you recognize is JK Rowlings amazing work. I only own Thorn Rose and Sparkie, the other unidentified characters are my friends, which I have permission to use!**

**Authors Note: This is my first fanfic, my own character in the books. Rated for future chapters, please forgive me if you don't find the first chapter that interesting, it will get better, trust me.  
**

Chapter one  
  
Murder so young  
  
Severus Snape stood in the street of a nearly empty and quite abandoned neighborhood. He stood in front of 453 sage street. To anyone else's eyes this was a vacant lot, muddled with trash, yet to the wizard's eyes there was a large house, painted red and silver. He was the only one, aside from Albus Dumbledore, and the people who lived within the house itself, that could see its existence. The reason behind this was the fact that Severus was the Secret Keeper of those within. Yet now worry clouded his heart. His sister, her husband, and their child lived inside, and he hadn't heard from them in over twenty-four hours. Severa, his younger sister, wrote him daily, and he usually received more then one letter a day from her. Yet she hadn't sent him any news, like she'd promised to. Besides, today was his niece's birthday, she would have sent him an owl by now. So the Potions Master walked to the door and knocked. No answer.  
  
Severus knocked again, yet the same result repeated itself. "Severa?" He called, but no one came. He finally opened the door and looked around. He was in the entry way, and the house was strangely quiet. There was the steady ticking of a clock, which was the only thing that could be heard. He couldn't here Severa and Romulus talking. He couldn't hear his three year old niece walking around like she usually did. She didn't laugh like other children. Yet all the same, it was too quiet. "Severa?" Severus called again. "Romulus? Thorn?"  
  
He walked through the entryway, which was decorated with lions and serpents, and into the living room. A book was set face down, opened, on the couch. Severus picked it up and read the cover. _The Auror's Handbook_. Both Romulus and Severa were aurors, so the book held little surprise. What did though, was the fact that it had been left opened. His brother-in-law, Romulus, always closed his books when he was finished.  
  
A year before, Severus would have been going into hysterics. A year before, the Dark Lord, Voldemort, would be in power, and one of his main targets was his sister. Thorn would have been safe from his attack, for he had chosen her for a special purpose, so Severus knew that if a Death Eater had attacked, at least his niece would live. She had been chosen as The Dark Lord's heir, and at her young age, she held the dark mark on her left forearm. And, thanks to Voldemort, Thorn was much stronger then other witches. She also had the gift of Parstletounge.  
  
He turned to the desk and saw a piece of parchment on it. He picked it up and recognized Severa's handwriting. It was addressed to him. He read it quietly to himself, though the letter was unfinished.  
  
_Dear Severus,  
  
Though you well knew, today is young Thorn's birthday! My child is now three! She received something from us that she will always be close to. One of the last Daemon Lizards. He shall live until she herself dies, so she will have a life long companion. I think that is something that she needed.  
  
Yet it still looms over me, the fact that the Boy who Lived is today two. My worry for what the future brings has deepened. My daughter has been connected with Voldemort since she was only six months old, and now, I fear that she may be connected to Potter as well. There is nothing I can do, and I was hoping that you could continue to teach her occlumency. We've discovered that my own skills in that area are limited. I was hoping that she would be able to hide herself from her emotions, and memories, completely.  
  
What also scares me is that I have a feeling that my own life has been numbered. I may not be a Seer, but I have this vague feeling that today may be my last. I don't mean to scare you, so I shan't continue on that topic. Well, it's time for Thorn's training. Luckily for me, Romulus has yet to discover it, he would not approve. I shall continue in my writing later.  
_  
Severus set the letter down, his hands shaking slightly. He had the feeling that what his sister had thought was correct. And if so, what brought her untimely death? As for Thorn's training, was she so sure about Romulus's reaction? Of course he wouldn't approve, in fact, Severus himself didn't much approve. Ever since Thorn could hold a wand and talk she had been taught the unforgivable curses, as a protection means. Already she had mastered the Imperius and the Crucaitus curses, and was more skilled then many with the Avada Kadavra. Severus had always worried about his sisters judgment for her teachings, but he never questioned her.  
  
Then, suddenly, the professor heard sobbing. He turned around to another door, which led to Severa's training room. He leaned against it and pressed his ear to the cold wood. The crying carried on. He Took his wand from his robes and held it at the ready, then he pushed open the door, and gasped.  
  
He slowly lowered his wand and looked with shock and a sudden understanding at the scene ahead of him. His niece, only three years old, sat crying in the middle of the room. In her hands she tightly gripped the slender, dark wood of Severa's wand. On her shoulder, sat a young blue lizard with red wings. Yet that wasn't what startled him the most. Ahead of Thorn, sprawled on the floor, were the bodies of Severa and Romulus Rose.  
  
Severus instantly knew what happened. Thorn had, without meaning to, killed both of her parents. He rushed to her side, his robes waving behind him. He knelt next to her and put an arm around her. "Thorn?"  
  
She looked up to him, her dark eyes filled with tears that continued to fall down her face. "Severus!" she cried, her R's a bit mispronounced. She threw her little arms around his neck and cried hysterically onto his shoulder.  
  
He pulled her to him in a comforting hug and said, "Oh, Thorn, don't worry, it will be okay..." Despite his words, she didn't falter in her tears. She clung to him desperately, her knuckles white by the strength that she held onto the black fabric with. The little winged Daemon Lizard looked around startled.  
  
Averting his eyes from his sister's body, he carried Thorn into the other room. He heard the rushing of wings as the owl he had sent his last message to Severa with landed on the table. Hecate watched him with unblinking eyes. Setting his niece onto the couch, and prying her arms off of him, he walked to the desk, trying to remain calm and in control. Severus took some of Severa's parchment and began to write to Dumbledore, yet his shaking hands made the writing nearly impossible to read.  
  
_Professor Dumbledore,  
  
I need your help. Severa is dead, as is Romulus. Thorn, however lives. I'll explain more later, for at the moment my hand may fail me. I'm at their house, please come.  
  
Severus Snape_  
  
He knew that it was a bit short, but at that moment he could care less. He tied the letter to Hecate's leg and she flew off, already knowing where to bring the letter. He sighed and looked over to Thorn, who's tears had ceased. She was staring at the floor, her eyes almost unreadable, but held a deep sadness. He walked back to the couch and sat next to her. She instantly rested her head on his shoulder, or tried to, and her crying returned. "Shh..." Severus said soothingly, "Thorn, it's okay..." He stroked her head, her long black hair smooth beneath his fingers.  
  
Then, she said between sobs, "Severus, do you hate me?"  
  
He was startled by this sudden question. "No, Thorn, I could never hate you, dare I ask why you thought that?"  
  
Thorn's sobs became harder and she fought to talk between them. "I didn't mean to! I just, and they, I don't know!" She then broke into tears again and held onto Severus's arm tightly. The lizard made a high pitched, kind of like mewing, sound, and nuzzled her.  
  
Severus looked down at her and struggled to keep himself in control. He had to be strong for Thorn. If she saw him hurt, she would blame herself. He kissed the top of her head lightly then they heard the door open. Severus looked to the hallway and saw Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Rubius Hagrid.  
  
"Severus," Dumbledore said in a rushed voice, "What happened? Where are they?" Rubius looked around. He was related to Romulus Rose in some distant way.  
  
Severus stood, leaving Thorn sitting on the couch. She still held her mothers wand tightly, and now she held the small lizard in an embrace as well. "They're in there, Headmaster." He pointed towards the door.  
  
Albus nodded silently and went in, Rubius followed. Minerva put a hand on Severus's arm encouragingly. She and her coworker weren't very close, in fact, far from it, but she knew that now was a time that he needed help. "Severus?" She asked, "Are you okay?"  
  
The potions master took a deep breath and covered his face with one of his hands. His curtain of black hair fell around his face as he looked downwards. "I don't know, Minerva, honestly I don't..."  
  
She nodded and then said, "What exactly happened, do you think?"  
  
Severus looked to her then said, "Well, Severa has been teaching Thorn the unforgivable curses and-"  
  
"She's been doing WHAT!?" Minerva interrupted him. Her eyes held a dangerous glow. "Has Albus been notified of this!?"  
  
Severus nodded, "Yes, I told him. He said that I shouldn't stop it."  
  
"Why ever not?" His fellow professor seemed quite enraged.  
  
"Because," Severus said in a dangerous voice, "She might need to use them in the future. Dumbledore has a feeling her future is going to be filled with dangers." McGonagall didn't question further.  
  
Thorn walked over to her uncle while he was talking and tugged on his robes. She lifted her hands in the general meaning of 'hold me.' He lifted her and she stifled another sob. Minerva gave them both a pitiful look.  
  
Albus then came back out, a solemn look on his face. Rubius followed and looked on the very verge of tears. Then Dumbledore said, "Severus, there is no way that we're going to be able to hide this. Romulus and Severa Rose were famous aurors, and I'm betting that the Daily Prophet has already gotten news of this."  
  
Severus nodded. Then he said, "What about Thorn? You're not going to send her away, are you?"  
  
Albus shook his head with a small, sad chuckle. "No, Severus, She's already got a wonderful home. She'll remain with you."  
  
"What about the school year, Albus?" Minerva asked.  
  
Dumbledore thought about it, then said, "I have an idea on someone who will help with that, but I'll call them later. Now, we have to go before-" his words were cut short by talking outside.  
  
He rushed to the window and cursed under his breath. In the streets was a crowd of wizards and witches. Only a few were official.  
  
"Dumbledore!" an aged wizard shouted. "Come out! We know about the deaths!"  
  
Severus scowled. The ministry always made a scene about anything, in fact, they always knew if anything happened, but there was no way that they could avoid this. They followed Albus Dumbledore outside and Severus let the others see his sisters house.  
  
He gave all the ministry wizards venomous looks as they questioned the others and himself. They had no choice but to tell the truth. Severus had the urge to use a curse himself on the reporter, Rita Skeeter, who's acid green quill was writing on its own accord.  
  
A cold lump grew in his throat as two official ministry members walked out of the house, levitating two stretchers between them. Though there were sheets over their bodies, Severus could perfectly see the look of surprise that had permanently set itself into their features.  
  
When the crowd died down and the ministry and reporters left, Severus turned back to Dumbledore. "Headmaster, what do you think they're going to do? Do you think that they'll take Thorn from me?"  
  
Albus sighed, "Honestly, Severus, I'm not sure. They may, but I think I convinced them. You're just going to have to make sure that Thorn only has her wand when she's practicing occlumency. We've at least convinced them to let her continue the practice."  
  
Severus nodded. "Of course." Thorn, who had been in her uncles arms the entire time, had fallen asleep. She looked so content while she slumbered. Yet her hands were cold and white, still gripping the dark wood of Severa's wand. It had been near enough to impossible to take it from her grasp. The lizard slept on Severus's shoulder.  
  
Minirva looked to them with pity once again and then said, "Well, Albus, I must return home. I'll talk to you later then." She turned to apperate away, but then, remembering something, she turned back and, to Severus, said, "Good luck to you both, Severus." Then, with a loud pop, she disappeared.  
  
Hagrid patted Severus on the back, nearly making him fall forwards and almost waking Thorn up. "Well, I'll be seein' ya 'round the school I bet. Luck to ya both." Then he walked off and was soon out of sight.  
  
Severus looked down upon Thorn's sleeping form and sighed. He ran his free hand through his black hair and felt Albus's eyes on his back. He turned to see the headmaster looking like he had something to say. Then he nodded and said, "Severus, will you come with me please?"  
  
The headmaster walked back into the house, Severus followed. He walked into the front room and stood in front of their fire place. He turned to Severus and said, "We're going to my office by floo powder, careful with her in the tunnel." Then he stepped into the fire and took a small handful of floo powder. He threw it into the fire and said, in a strong, clear voice, "Dumbledore's office!"  
  
A wave of fire engulfed the aging wizard and he suddenly disappeared. Severus waited for the fire to die down before he took a small handful himself. He stepped into the fireplace and griped Thorn firmly. He moved her little lizard inbetween the two of them to make sure that he wouldn't fall into a wrong doorway. Then he threw the powder into the fire and called, "Dumbledore's office!"  
  
The warm flames surrounded him and he felt himself spinning in the vortex. He held Thorn close to him to make sure that she didn't get hurt. Soon he felt himself being dragged from the tunnel and then found himself in Dumbledore's fireplace.  
  
He emerged, brushing the dust and dirt from his black robes and from Thorn. He looked up to his headmaster to see him open a closed cabinet. Inside was a shallow stone basin, containing a silvery liquid. A pensive.  
  
Thorn, though she went through the fireplaces, stayed sound asleep. She shifted in Severus's arms a bit, but otherwise she could have been mistaken for dead. The young lizard, however, was now awake and crawling around the two in fear.  
  
"Severus, I think it's time you knew..." Dumbledore took the pensive and set it on his desk. "I had been worried about this. I was going to show this to Severa, but now," he sighed, "I can't show her, so I'll show you. You have the right to know."  
  
Severus gripped Thorn tightly. He had a strange feeling that this was about her. He nodded silently, afraid that if he spoke, his words would betray him.  
  
Dumbledore continued, "There was a prophecy made about her long ago. We're sure that it's about her, no mistake. She is the only one that fits the description, I am sure of that now."  
  
Severus remained quiet. He could feel Thorn's small body move with every intake of breath she took. He shuddered at the thought of ever loosing her. "What is the prophecy?" He asked, barely capable to keep his voice in a controlled calm.  
  
Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his temples. "Here, let me show you. Our very own Sibyll Trelawney had this prediction, not long after Harry's." The headmaster took his wand and stirred the pensive's liquid. A form emerged from it, seemingly made out of water and mist, yet it was unmistakably the seer that taught Divination at the school. When she spoke her words were harsh.  
  
"She shall be born exactly one year before the boy who lived, and will be connected to him by coincidence. She will bring death to those closest to her, and fear to bring pain to the living. She shall be chosen as the Dark Lords heir, and he shall willingly make her stronger with one mark. She will be the strongest witch of her time, and will be capable to destroy almost any life. She shall hone her skill and learn to be flexible, and will use it to save herself and others. It shall be impossible to kill her by magic, though many times will it have been tried. Then, her secrets shall be discovered, and the prophecy shall then begin. Her species will each try to take control of her, her blood will stain the snow, and she shall be truly pained for the first time, she shall save her true leader, and aid in the death of his rival. Her decision is hers alone, and it holds our fate." Then, with the message delivered, the silvery form of Sibyll Trelawney fell back into the pensive.  
  
Severus had not moved through the entire prophecy. "Her species will try to take control? The snow shall be stained with her blood? Headmaster, does this mean that my niece, is she in danger?"  
  
Albus nodded slowly. "Yes, Severus. We now know that it is her that the prophecy means. The part where Sibyll said that she will bring death to those closest to her was the final bit of evidence. She killed her parents, and, in doing so, has clarified the fact that she is the one this prophecy spoke of."  
  
Severus could hardly believe it. Thorn Rose, the last living part of his sister, had such a drastic future ahead of her, and there was no way to escape it. She was trapped and there was nothing that he could do to help her.  
  
Dumbledore seemed to know what Severus was thinking, seeing as he said, "Why don't you go home, today has been really troublesome for you. Use my floo powder."  
  
Severus nodded. "Thank you." He readjusted Thorn in his grip and walked back to the fireplace. The Daemon Lizard had settled itself, once again, in between him and Thorn. He took the powder and called, "The Cavern!" as he threw it into the fames.  
  
The fire engulfed him and he was pulled into his home. He emerged into his living room, the walls were black and grey, potions covered the shelves around him. He brushed himself and Thorn off again and walked into his study. There was a couch that would serve as Thorn's bed for the moment. "We'll change this into your room, Thorn," he told the sleeping toddler. He set her down on the black couch and covered her in a black blanket. She hardly stirred at all. He kissed her for head lightly. "Good night." He whispered. Thorn sighed contently.  
  
Severus walked into the living room and sat in one of the black armchairs. The Cavern, his home, was far from the muggle society, hidden within a forest. Enchantments surrounded the woods, making any muggle that came near remember something urgent and leave so that no non-magic people would find his sanctuary.  
  
Severus hid his face in his hands and thought about the entire predicament. He had never even thought that his sister would be killed by any other person then the Dark Lord himself or his followers. It was so hard to believe that one of the most important people in his life had been the one to kill her. Yet he couldn't hold a grudge against her. She must've had a reason, an excuse.  
  
He was about to go to bed when he heard the creak of a door opening behind him. He turned to see Thorn standing in the doorway, holding the wand still, the lizard on her shoulder. "Severus?"  
  
He smiled and knelt down and held his arms out. She walked to him and into his arms, holding him close again.  
  
"Are you okay, Thorn?" Severus asked as he stood up and sat down in his chair, Thorn on his lap.  
  
She looked down, obviously not sure what to say. She acted much older for her age, because of her occlumency lessons, yet at times like these, she seemed to become her own age again. "I'm scared, Severus, I want my mommy and daddy." Tears welled up in her eyes again and she clutched the wand tighter.  
  
"I know you do, Thorn, but... but there's no way that we can get her back," Severus sighed and rubbed his temples. "What happened? How did they..." he stopped, not wanting to utter the word.  
  
Thorn's tears ran down her face silently, "They... Mommy had been teaching me the cruses, and she had told me to use them when I was scared. Then, today, Daddy came in and he started screaming at Mommy. I was real scared, Severus, I really was! Then, I don't know, I used the curse Mommy and me had been working on. I didn't mean to!" Then her hysterical crying returned and she buried her head in Severus's robes.  
  
Severus held her close, trying to comfort her. "I know you didn't mean to, Thorn. Shh, it's okay."  
  
He had been right. It wasn't Thorn's fault. Severa should have explained better, not to use the curse when scared, but when she's being attacked by death eaters or The Dark Lord. It was also Romulus's fault. He shouldn't have screamed at his sister like he had. And it was also his fault. Severus sighed, "I should have stopped her..." he said quietly.  
  
Thorn hadn't heard him. She was staring at the potions that covered the walls. The small lizard, who had been in the study, climbed up the chair and onto Thorn's shoulder.  
  
Looking for something to cheer Thorn up, Severus said, "Thorn? What are you going to name your lizard?"  
  
She looked up to him and then took the small lizard into her hands. He watched her with large eyes and cooed slightly. He could make many different sounds, Severus noted. Then, Thorn said, "His name shall be... Sparkie!" She smiled slightly and the small lizard, now named Sparkie, yipped and spread his wings.  
  
Severus laughed lightly and said, "That's a wonderful name." He stroked the lizards back. Though he wasn't very fond of animals, he would let Thorn have a pet. Though Sparkie would probably be closer then just a pet. Daemon Lizards almost always became really close to their owners. "Now, I think that you and Sparkie should get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll change the study to your room."  
  
Thorn nodded and Severus walked her to the room. He set her down on the couch again and said," Good night, Thorn." He kissed her for head lightly and walked out of the room.  
  
Yet before he reached the door he heard his niece say, in no more than a whisper, "I love you, Severus."  
  
He smiled sadly, "I love you, too, Thorn."  
  
He slowly closed the door and walked into his own room. Changing into his grey nightshirt he climbed under his covers. After hours of tossing and turning he finally fell into a fitful sleep.


	2. Occlumency Mastery

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I still only own an emotionally challanged three year old and her blue and red lizard.**

**Authors Note: Whoo! Second Chapter! Go me! Okay, I know, still a bit dull, but please bare with me! It WILL get more interesting! I SWEAR! Please, Review**!

Chapter two  
  
Occlumency Mastery  
  
In the morning, Severus walked into the kitchen to find Thorn already awake. She and Sparkie were sitting at the table in the corner. She was staring at the wood with a concentrated look. She was in deep thought. It always amazed him how mature she could act.  
  
Then she looked up, as if she had known he was there, and said, "Severus, when are we going to change my room?"  
  
Severus smiled. "As soon as we can." He picked up the Daily Prophet and gasped.  
  
"What?" Thorn asked him, now standing on her chair to get a look at the paper.  
  
He sighed and read the article aloud to her:  
  
_"Thorn Rose- a Murderer  
  
Yesterday at 453 Sage Street in London, a quite abandoned neighborhood, two famous Aurors, Romulus and Severa Rose, were killed. The person who brought them to death was not one of You-Know-Who's followers, but their own daughter. This reporter was amazed to find that a three year old child held so much malice and hate. I asked one of the people in the crowd that had gathered around the house what they thought of the situation. Mr. Lucius Malfoy said, "It does not surprise me, Thorn Rose has seemed to have a dirty disposition ever since I first saw her. It is rumored that she is loyal to the Dark Lord, despite her young age."  
  
Mr. Malfoy and many others have agreed that Thorn could be dangerous to society and begged that she would be locked up, yet the Headmaster of Hogwarts foolishly stood up for the young Death Eater and convinced the Ministry to let her stay in the hands of her uncle, Severus Snape, who was known to at one time have been a Death Eater. Many of us don't trust Dumbledore's judgment on his decision, but we have little power. It is now in my best hopes that Snape has truly turned over a new leaf, though part of me believes that he will continue to teach Thorn to follow He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."  
_  
Thorn gasped. Even at her young age she understood. Severus cursed under his breath. "Rita Skeeter... that foul sad excuse for a witch..." Severus muttered.  
  
Thorn stared at the picture in the paper, which showed her in Severus's arms as he tried to ignore the presses questions. Her eyes seemed to swell up in anger. "How could she!?"  
  
Severus put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it, Thorn, it will be okay." But he knew that after this, it was going to be hard for him or Thorn to gain anyone's trust.  
  
After they had eaten, Severus had begun to change the room. He transfigured the couch into a bed and moved one of the desks. He moved the other one into his room. "You'll need this when you start school." He explained when Thorn questioned him about the remaining desk.  
  
He removed the wall paper, revealing the dark stone that made up the house. Thorn stared up at the back wall, where there was a large area of the stone that had a serpent, the mark of Salazar Slytherin, carved into it. Severus held his wand forward and was about to take it off, but Thorn stopped him by tugging on his robes. "I like it." She said simply.  
  
Severus smiled, "Okay, then we'll keep it there."  
  
They worked on. It only took about an hour, but soon her room was much to her liking. Her bed was up next to her door; her desk was on the opposite side of the wall. Another desk with potions supplies was near the foot of her bed. The dresser was off in the far corner. A few chains fell from her ceiling, because the young girl said that she felt most comfortable in the dark of a dungeon.  
  
Thorn smiled at her uncle's handy work and climbed onto the bed. She sat there, with her feet hanging off, and looked around. She was quite comfortable with her new room.  
  
Severus smiled down at her. For the time being, Thorn had seemed to forget her occlumency lessons. She usually didn't smile. Occlumency... He really should start teaching her again.  
  
He remembered thinking that same thing a week later. It had been a week since his sister's death. Dumbledore still hadn't contacted the family he thought would watch Thorn, and Severus still hadn't continued on her occlumency lessons. The truth was that he didn't want to force her to hide emotions. She was such a happy kid. Yet he had noticed that she was starting to try to use what she knew of occlumency herself. Though she wouldn't tell him why, he had a general idea. The Dark Lord made it possible to talk to Thorn through her mind, and, apparently while he wasn't in power, he could still do this. Severus knew that he needed to continue her lessons, for her own good.  
  
"Thorn!" the professor called. The toddler came forwards quickly and gave him a quizzical look, "I think we need to continue your occlumency lessons."  
  
She nodded without hesitation. "I know... Severus... I... He..."  
  
Severus shook his head to silence her. "I know, and after we're done he won't be able to anymore."  
  
Thorn smiled slightly and ran to her room. She came back moments later, holding her mothers wand. She held it behind her, her other fist in front of her. Severus recognized it as the technique that he usually used. "Ready."  
  
Severus sighed and walked to the other side of the room. He held his wand in front of him and said, "Are you sure?" She nodded. "Alright, be prepared, _Legilimens!_"  
  
Thorn felt his power hit her in full force. She fought with her mind, clearing herself of emotion, but soon, her uncle's power broke her defenses. She saw flashes of her memories. She saw her mother and herself using the Imperius curse to control spiders, she saw her mother and father practice dueling each other while she watched, then she saw the Dark Lord standing above her, holding his fingers to her skin, she felt it burn, she heard herself scream as the Dark Mark was burned into her skin. She saw the blood running down her arm; she saw the forced look of calm on her mothers face.  
  
She felt pain going through the back of her head. She had fallen forwards and hit her head on the kitchen table. The kitchen came back into view, as did her uncle standing before her. Forcing the tears back, she rubbed the spot on her head.  
  
"You did eventually succeed to get me out of your mind, yet you waited too long." He walked to the sink and got a towel wet. He placed it over the spot that Thorn had hit her head and said quietly, "I didn't know you remembered the night that The Dark Lord put the mark into you..."  
  
Thorn nodded, "Yeah, I remember it..." She stood back up and said, "Let's try it again."  
  
Severus nodded and went back to the other side of the room. He faced her and said, "Be on your guard. One, two, three, _Legilimens!_"  
  
Thorn had better prepared herself this time, hiding her emotions deep inside of her. Yet still Severus was stronger. Suddenly the room swirled and blurred in her vision and she saw herself sitting in Severus's arms after her parents had died, she saw her mother and father fighting, and she and her lizard watching, crying, using the curse... "STOP!" She screamed and the room came back into focus. Severus had been pushed back a few feet.  
  
"Very good, Thorn, it didn't take as long this time." He rubbed his temples again. He had just watched his niece kill his sister. "I think that's enough for today."  
  
Everyday after that they set aside some time to practice occlumency, Thorn gradually getting better. Soon she could almost completely keep Severus from her mind.  
  
"Come on, Thorn, you can do this," Severus encouraged her. She had just relived crying in the center of her mother's training room for the fourth time that week.  
  
She stood up, she had fallen backwards again. She sighed, her eyes held an angry glimmer. She took a deep breath and cleared her mind. After the weeks that they had spent on it, Thorn could easily keep her emotions at bay. "Okay, try again."  
  
Severus sighed; he really wished that she would stop. He didn't want their constant lessons to harm her. "Are you sure? We could stop."  
  
Thorn shook her head vigorously, so much so that her hair flew out. "No! I want to be able to stop him! Severus, he's trying to make me tell him things!" She held her wand at the ready, a new concentration looking out through her dark eyes.  
  
The wizard sighed. There was nothing he could do to make her take a rest. She was so determined, much like her mother. He held his wand out in front of him, and said, "Brace yourself. One, two, three, _Legilimens!_"  
  
Thorn held fast, meeting his attack with her defense. She seemed unphased by her uncle's doings. She was standing still, her eyes void of emotion. She felt Severus's power against her mind but she didn't feel any weaker. In fact, she felt as if her power was rising with his every move. He couldn't break into her mind. She was a closed box. No one could get in.  
  
Severus smiled and stopped the charm, "You did it, Thorn!"  
  
She smiled slightly up to him. She still held her emotions within her. She wouldn't let them out much anymore. She had to protect herself, and others, from the Dark Lord.  
  
Sparkie, who had grown a considerable amount, was now about as big as Severus's hand, which was a big change to when he had only been about the size of Thorn's hand. He squeaked slightly and leapt onto her shoulder. Despite his wings, Sparkie still couldn't fly. It would be another couple of weeks or so before he would be able to do so.  
  
Severus was very pleased with his niece, though he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sorrow. Now she would keep her emotions hidden again. She might still act the same way some of the time, but he knew that she wouldn't want to aid the Dark Lord.  
  
They heard a knock at the door. Severus went to answer it and Thorn walked to her room. She closed the door quietly and looked at the dark mark upon her arm. Every other Death Eaters mark was gone for the moment, because Voldemort wasn't in power, yet he had put a little more into Thorn's and hers would forever be visible. It was a reddish color, yet even in the dim light of her room, she could see it perfectly. When he was in power, it was black, and it constantly burned, she was well used to that by now, though, aside the fact that she hadn't felt the familiar burning for over a year. Yet what she truly did hate, yet remembered vividly, was the pain of when he touched the mark of any death Eater. Her mark bled when he did so.  
  
She shuddered involuntarily with the memory then crawled onto her bed. She stared at her ceiling for a long time before she fell into a quiet nap.  
  
Severus opened the door to see Albus Dumbledore standing ahead of him, looking down his crooked nose at the potions master, a smile spread across his lips. "Severus."  
  
"Headmaster, come in." Severus stood aside, allowing his companion to enter the kitchen.  
  
"I have wonderful news, Severus," he said as he sat in one of the kitchen chairs at the table. "I've talked to the family that I'd said I would and they agreed to let Thorn stay with them while you are at the school. They're a wonderful family, and they have a young son, around Thorn's age."  
  
Severus didn't seem convinced. "What about the article? Did they read it? Are they going to treat Thorn with respect?"  
  
Dumbledore chuckled, "Of course they will, and it's really good that they don't much like Rita Skeeter. They didn't trust her article. It's fortunate that they agreed, because the school year starts in less then a week."  
  
Severus nodded. "Alright, who is the family?"  
  
"The Wood's, they're a good, respectful family."  
  
Severus nodded. "Alright, we'll see."


	3. Growing up with the Woods

**Disclaimer: Again, only Sparkie and Thorn are mine. Maken Wood belongs to Maken-Wood here on fanfiction. As I said, I have permission to use him!**

**Author's Note: Okay, I've had people telling my about some flaws in my story, but it will all get explained in later parts of the story, okay? Don't leave me just cause of that! As I said, it WILL get better! When she's in school (Which is really close after this chapter) It will get more interesting! PLEASE BARE WITH ME!!!!!**

Chapter three

Growing up with the Woods

Not even a week later, Severus and Thorn found themselves standing in front of the Wood's house. Next to them stood Dumbledore, who was twiddling his thumbs calmly.

Jamie Wood answered the door and smiled kindly to the group of them. "Hello! Professor Dumbledore! Nice to see you again, come in, come in." She stood aside for the others to enter.

Thorn gripped her uncle's hand tight in hers. She felt no fear; she just didn't want him to leave her. He was the only person that she loved anymore, with her mother and father gone.

They followed Jamie into the kitchen where she bid them to sit. "Gary, Oliver, and Maken will be out soon." She said as she offered them some cookies

Dumbledore took one without hesitation, "Ah, thank you, Jamie." He bit into the chocolate chip and licked his lips in satisfaction, "Delicious."

Severus shook his head, "No thank you, I'm fine."

She held one out to Thorn, who wasn't sure what to do, she wasn't hungry, but she didn't want to be rude, and the cookies smelled so good! She finally decided to take one. She silently ate it, all the while keeping her eyes downcast.

Jamie watched her with curiosity, and then two young boys and a taller man entered the room. "Ah! Dumbledore!" The man said, "Wonderful to see you again!" He quickly came to the Headmaster's side and shook his hand.

"Nice to see you too, Gary!" Albus said, and then he turned to his coworker and said, "Gary, this is Severus Snape."

Gary smiled to Severus, who gave a weak smile back. They shook hands and Gary said, "Ah, the one in the paper, that prat Skeeter, always making crap up about other wizards for her own sick pleasure."

Severus nodded, "Yes, and she's made it awfully hard for Thorn and me to go anywhere without whispers and such."

Gary nodded, "I bet. Dumbledore's told us the real story, and we don't hate the child for it." He turned back to the doorway where his sons were just standing stupidly. "C'mon, boys! Be polite!"

Severus glanced at the two boys. They seemed nice enough. He was happy with the family Dumbledore had chosen. They were in fact nice people. Thorn was still holding onto his hand tightly.

The two young boys came up, looking rather nervous. "Come on, don't be shy," their mother said, she took the younger ones hand and said, "Maken, this is Thorn. I told you that she was going to come live with us while her uncle went to work, didn't I?"

Young Maken nodded and watched Thorn curiously. She silently wondered if he knew about what she had done.

"Why don't you and Oliver take her into the den and play?" Jamie asked him and she pushed him forwards a bit.

At first he seemed shy, but at the word 'play' he perked right up. "Okay!" He grabbed Thorn's wrist and tugged her towards the door. She fought back, but only for a little while, then she regretfully let go of Severus's hand and went into the other room with Maken and Oliver.

Once the children were out of sight, Dumbledore turned to Jamie and Gary Wood. "Thank you, again, for watching Thorn."

Jamie smiled. "Of course, Headmaster, it's no problem."

Severus watched after his niece, then turned to the Woods and said, "Please don't tell your sons what she's done. I don't want them to shun her away."

Jamie smiled pitifully. Severus sighed; he was tired of getting pity from everyone. "We won't, Professor Snape. I swear."

Thorn followed Maken and Oliver into the den nervously. She had never actually _played _before. She watched as Oliver walked into the corner and began to play with little Quidditch figures. They flew in circles and he told them what to do. Maken lead her over to his corner, where there were figures of animals. They didn't move like Oliver's.

He sat cross legged on the floor and picked up a unicorn. Thorn awkwardly sat across from him, unsure on what to do. Maken made the unicorn fly in circles, all the time making the noises that a fighter jet would make.

Thorn watched in confusion then said, "Maken, unicorns can't fly."

He glanced up to her, then continued his playing. "This one can!" Maken said, he had no speech problems; he just spoke a bit fast. "He's special!" The unicorn dive bombed a red dragon.

She watched, confused still. "Maken..." She said again, he stopped and looked at her, "There's no way that a unicorn could kill a dragon."

Maken stared at her. Did she not get it? He placed the unicorn back onto the carpet and said, "Thorn, just play, it doesn't have to make sense." He picked up the unicorn again and continued to dive bomb other creatures.

Thorn thought about what he said, "Just play..." she repeated. She felt Sparkie wedge himself out of her robes pocket and climb onto her shoulder. She smiled at him and picked up the dragon.

She felt a little foolish, holding an inanimate object, trying to pretend that it was alive. Maken noticed her predicament and laughed.

"What?" She scoffed. If she hadn't been hiding her stronger emotions, her cheeks would have reddened.

Maken smiled and said, "It's almost as if you've never played before!" He laughed again.

Thorn looked down at the dragon, then back up to Maken, "I haven't." She said in a low voice.

Maken froze. Someone who hasn't _played_!? Ever!? How was it possible? "You've never... played? How can that be? All kids play! We don't have work or anything!"

Thorn still looked down at the carpet. She didn't want to tell Maken why she'd never played. She didn't want to tell him that she had had to work, that she still did.

Maken was still amazed. He shook his head, to rid himself of the feeling and said, "Well, how about I teach you how to play?"

Thorn watched him. Somehow, the idea of acting like unmoving object were alive seemed unappealing to her. She stared at Maken, as he watched her. Then, without warning, he took her hand, which still had the red dragon, and moved it in a flying motion.

This made Thorn feel even more foolish. She pulled her hand away and placed the dragon back down. Maken watched her like she was crazy. "What? You don't wanna play?"

Thorn shook her head. "It doesn't make sense to me. I don't see what's so fun about it."

Maken sighed. He had a new goal for the year. Okay, maybe month, hey, he was only three, he didn't look that far into the future! He was going to help Thorn understand what it meant to play.

He took her hand again and placed the dragon back into it. He moved it on the ground, trying to make it look like it was walking. He growled and attempted a roar.

Thorn let him move her hand. She watched, trying to understand. She felt a bit better to know that Maken was trying to help her regain childhood, though he didn't know that's what he was doing.

He released her hand and the dragon instantly stopped "moving." He looked to Thorn, who was staring at the dragon stupidly. "C'mon! You take over!"

She glanced up at him then moved the dragon in the same manner he had been. "Make it roar!" Maken exclaimed, happy that Thorn was somewhat getting it.

She smiled slyly. She had an idea, but she well knew that Maken wouldn't understand what she'd say. She opened her mouth and said, "Roar!" But the words that came from her lips was not English, they were uttered in a harsh hissing sound. _The gift of Parsletounge! _she thought to herself.

Maken gaped at her. "That was so cool! You were like hiss! And I was like, cool! How did you do that!? Do it again!"

Thorn smiled, yet suddenly the feeling of foolishness returned. She set the dragon back down and said, "I don't know, I just did." That was a lie, of course, but she wasn't going to tell someone who might actually be her friend that she held the gift that the Dark Lord cherished.

Maken was about to say something more when they heard Thorn's name being called from the kitchen. She rushed in, Sparkie perched on her shoulder.

Severus and Dumbledore were standing near the door. Thorn's heart froze. Though she had known that he would have to leave her, she still dreaded it. All of her clothes and such were packed for her and her suitcase was sitting by the wall. Jamie and Gary Wood stood side by side next to the table.

Maken came up behind Thorn and watched the adults. He walked right by his new friend and to his mother, who took him into her arms.

Thorn fought back the stream of tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She strode to her uncle, who had kneeled on the floor to be even with her, and ran into his arms. She hadn't been away from his since her mother had died... "Good-bye, Severus," she whispered.

He held her close and kissed her temple. "Don't worry, Thorn, I'll come visit when ever I can." He really hated leaving her. In fact, he had considered taking a month's leave to be with her more and get her used to the idea of him being gone, but he didn't want to do that to Dumbledore, to make him find a fill in. He had done so much for their broken family already.

She nodded and tried to be strong about it. She hiccupped slightly and said, "I love you Severus."

"I love you, too." Severus stood up and ran his hand over his niece's smooth black hair. The he and Dumbledore turned, and with one last glance at his beloved niece, they apparated away.

Thorn stared at the spot where her uncle had been only seconds before. She fought back the urge to cry and locked her sorrow in her heart. She felt the sadness, but no one else, not even Harry or Voldemort could tell.

Maken came and stood next to her. "Who was that, Thorn?" he asked eagerly.

Thorn sighed, "That was my uncle, Severus."

"Ah," Maken nodded, but she could see the confusion in his young eyes. Then he added, "Where's your mum and dad?"

Thorn glanced to him, then said, in a quiet voice, "They're dead." She didn't continue on to tell him how exactly they died.

Maken's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered from his shock. He may be hyper most of the time, okay, constantly, but his mother had taught him manners. "Oh... I'm sorry."

Thorn shook her head, "No, it's okay. You didn't know."

Jamie came to her son and the young girl that would be staying with them for the school year. "C'mon, Thorn, let me show you to your room." She took Thorn's bag and led her to a small room with a bed, dresser, and small trunk.

Jamie set Thorn's bag on the bed and said, "This is where you'll be sleeping." She began to unpack for Thorn. When the bag was empty, Mrs. Wood was startled to find that she only had one personal belonging; a picture of her mother and Severus.

Thorn nodded and set the picture on the dresser. In it, her mother and Severus were younger. It was right after Severa's last year at Hogwarts, before she was married to Romulus Rose. The last picture with the two Snape children.

After about two weeks of staying at the Wood's, Thorn had learned two very important things. One: don't touch Oliver's stuff, two: never say the word "play" around Maken. He went into an even more hyperactive state then he was usually in.

It seemed that Maken had created a new goal for his young mind to work on. Thorn noticed that he seemed intent on making her play. She never subducted fully to his attempts, but she made sure to "roar" a few times for his liking.

She kept in touch with Severus. He wrote her letters and she, being unable to read or write, had either Gary or Jamie read them to her. He visited her as often as he could as well.

As the months passed by, Thorn became more comfortable with the Woods, as did Sparkie. The lizard hadn't grown a lot since they had arrived, and now he could fly. The older he got, the more they learned about him. He could become invisible, and his teeth were extraordinarily strong. They learned that when he chewed through a diamond vile made for strong potions.

Yet, as comfortable as she felt with them, the Woods did not give her one thing. A real family. She missed Severus dearly, and she couldn't wait for the Christmas break, but soon, even that hope was shattered.

"Thorn!" Jamie called and Thorn ran into the kitchen, Sparkie gliding silently behind her, "You have another letter from Severus."

Thorn smiled weakly and said, "Will you read it to me?"

Jamie smiled, then unfolded the parchment, and read aloud,

_Dear Thorn,_

_I'm terribly sorry that I haven't written in so long, I've been surrounded in work. You wouldn't believe what dunderheads I have to attempt to teach this year. I don't have much time to write, I have a class in five minuets, but I have to relay some bad news. Dumbledore has a lack of teachers who are willing to stay for the Christmas holiday, and he has asked me to stay. He's done so much for us, and I would hate to let him down, so, I'm not going to be able to visit you over the break, as much as I regret to admit it. I have to go, the over achievers are pouring in early._

_Love, _

_Severus Snape_

Thorn's heart sank. "Severus isn't coming?" she asked, not wanting to believe it.

Jamie's eyes had not left the parchment. She knew how much the professor wanted to spend Christmas with his niece. She was like his daughter. "No, it seems not, Thorn. I'm sorry."

Sparkie mewed and nuzzled Thorn's leg. She nodded and said, "It's okay," then she silently walked into the den, where Oliver was going over Quidditch with his father and Maken was playing with his unicorn again.

She smiled her small and quiet smile and sat down. She kept her emotions well hidden, even her best, and only, friend couldn't see her deep sorrow.

Thorn was in her room on Christmas morning, sleeping away until the sun rose. Or, that's what she'd wanted to do. Yet Maken, at three in the morning, ran into her room and leapt onto her bed.

"Thorn! It's Christmas! It's Christmas!"

She groaned in annoyance and turned over, her back facing her hyperactive friend, and pulled her covers over her head.

"Come on, Thorn! It's Christmas!" Maken said excitedly, then he leapt up, startled to feel something moving under the covers where he was sitting.

Sparkie emerged, looking quite perturbed. He muttered something in his high-pitched language as he glided over to the dresser and glared at Maken.

Maken ignored the lizard and continued to try to pry Thorn from her bed. "Thorn!" he wined, "Come on! It's Christmas!"

Thorn burrowed even deeper into her bed. "I don't care."

Maken gaped at her. "But... It's Christmas! How can you not care!?"

Thorn watched him from under her covers. "Cause Severus isn't here."

"Well, still, come on!" He grabbed her ankles and pulled her out of the bed. "It's Christmas!"

She kicked him away and stood up. Sparkie flew to her shoulder. "I'm coming, I'm coming." She followed him out half heartedly, her long sleeved black nightshirt slightly dragging on the floor.

She wasn't at all amazed to find the rest of the Wood family in the den. No doubt Maken had woken them early, too.

The previous week Gary had bought a Christmas tree and he and his sons had decorated it. Thorn hadn't wanted to help, for her Christmas spirit was limited.

Now there were many gifts under the glowing bit of birch. Thorn only expected to get one, maybe two, and she was surprised to receive three.

Maken sat on the floor, only some meters away, yet his entire body was hidden behind a mountain of wrapped presents. Oliver sat not far of from his brother, a similar pile of gifts next to him.

Thorn opened the gift from the Wood family first. They'd gotten her a small, harmless potions set. She set it aside, with a thanks, and moved on to the gift that Maken had given her. She laughed quietly when she saw what it was. A unicorn, identical to the one he had, but in a bright purple color. It had been wrapped in violent violet paper.

"Thanks, Maken," She said as she put the unicorn with her potions set. He beamed at her.

"You're welcome, Thorn!" he exclaimed as he tore the wrapping off of his fifth gift containing moving animal toys.

She smiled her small smile and picked up her last gift. A small black box that Severus had sent her.

She opened it and quickly recognized it. She pulled the silver medallion out by it'd chain and examined it. It was perfectly round, a bit bigger then a quarter by diameter and a bit thinner. Etched into the metal was a serpent, its body twisted into an "S." Above it said the word "Slytherin" and under it read, "And Proud." Although she couldn't read it, she knew the words were there, just as she knew that there was a poem on the back.

Maken leaned over her shoulder, grinning. Then he said, "What's that say, Thorn?"

She closed her eyes and recited it by heart.

__

_"You May think Slytherins are evil,_

_or maybe we're just mad,_

_but please do not forget,_

_that you are just as bad._

_You kill and steal and cheat,_

_it isn't only us. _

_It's our reputation,_

_that's made this such a fuss._

_But understand this about me,_

_before your mind is made,_

_I'm Slytherin and proud,_

_and that will never fade."_

__

She glanced at Maken, who looked confused. She turned the silver piece over and said, "This was my mothers."

Suddenly she felt a twang of longing in her heart. She missed her mother and her father, but what she missed the most was the person who had sent her mother's necklace. Severus had been the closest thing to her since her parents' deaths, and the fact that she wouldn't see him until the end of the school year now, since Dumbledore asked him to stay, made her miss him more.

She shook head and emptied herself of the emotion and felt Sparkie, who had been playing with her purple unicorn and Maken, leap onto her shoulder.

She and Sparkie had grown really close, not just as friends, but mind wise, too. They felt each others thoughts, some what. They were still far too young for the connection to be that strong, but within a couple of years, they would almost seem one being.

Another reason that she was growing closer to him was because she could talk with him. Parstletounge was the gift of talking to snakes, and Sparkie had the ability to talk in any reptile tongue that he wanted, despite the fact that he was a lizard. They could speak through serpent means. Sparkie was also teaching her how to talk in any reptile language by showing her how to convert the sounds. She was getting better at this by the day.

He whimpered and nuzzled her neck. She stroked the length of his body and lowly hissed, "I'm okay."

He gave her a skeptical look, but she ignored him. Because she was small, Thorn didn't have to unclasp the silver chain to put the medallion on. She slipped it over her head and pulled her black hair from under the chain. It felt to the bottom of her sternum. From then on she rarely took it off.

Thorn stayed at the Wood's house every school year until she was eleven, but that didn't make her life dull. During the summer, when she was six, She learned to read, and she immuned herself to pain.

Severus walked into Thorn's room. She had just turned six, and he had been teaching her how to read and write, but he was worried. She seemed preoccupied with something else.

He gasped, making his niece jump. She had her wand pointed at herself, and Severus had heard her mutter the word, "_Crucio!_"

She looked to him, her eyes wider then normal, and stuffed her wand away. Severus noticed that she had not lifted the curse. "Thorn!" he said, amazed. She had not acknowledged the fact that she had used the pain curse upon herself.

Thorn stared at her uncle, still feeling the pain that he wand was inflicting upon her. She had been doing this to herself for quite some time now. Not because she liked the pain, but because she knew that she needed to get used to it. She needed to be unhurtable.

Taking it step by step, she cursed herself for as long as she could stand it without screaming. At first she hadn't been able to bear it for more than a few seconds, then minuets, hours, and, finally, days.

She had gone two weeks with the curse on her. She no longer was hurt by its pain, she had become so used to it that it seemed like nothing.

Severus was now regretting that the ministry had given her permission to use magic. If they hadn't, this wouldn't have happened. "Thorn," he said again, striding to her side. He took her wand out of her robes and lifted the spell. "What are you doing?"

She glanced up to him and felt the curse lift. "I'm making it so the curse won't hurt me." Her voice was a bit deeper than it had been three years previous, but her "R's" still slurred.

Severus sighed and ran his hand through his shoulder length black hair, "Why?"

She watched him, knowing how surprised and afraid he was. He didn't want her to hurt herself. "Severus, I'm going to need this immunity, I know I am."

Severus looked into her eyes. The dark eyes that once showed emotion, when she was an infant, now seemed an empty void. "Thorn," he sighed, "You have to stop this, please."

Thorn looked up to him. He was masking his feelings, but she was probably the only one that could see past this wall. She felt a twinge of guilt surge through her. She knew that she was the only one that he cared so deeply about. "Okay," she nodded, "I promise."

Later in the years Thorn had spent all of her free time, whether at the Wood's or in her own home, reading. She had an extensive vocabulary by the age of eight, and acted much more mature then she actually was. She read many books, most of them about Potions, The Dark Arts, and even about the Magical Creatures. In fact, she became so interested in the animals she snuck off to the ministry and got herself a license to own such animals, with a little persuading, of course. It probably also helped that Maken's father worked at the ministry.

With her license and the huge fortune that her parents had left her, seeing as they had been famous aurors, she was able to buy a few pets.

In the summer before she started school she bought them. Much to Severus's annoyance, she had a unicorn, Shooter, a Hippogriff, Talon, and a rare Pegasus, Feather.

The three of them lived in the forest around their house, and they knew not to leave it. If the muggles in the city saw them, nothing good could come of it.


	4. In the Alley

**Disclaimer: Sparkie and Thorn only, Maken still owned by Maken-Wood, more characters to be introduced in the next chapter. All other characters that you recognize are owned by JK Rowling**

**Author's Note: Chapter four! Woo! This chapter has a bit more humor cause Sparkie can talk! Anyways. Enjoy! **

Chapter four

In the Alley

Thorn was sitting in her kitchen, reading the Daily Prophet, when a tawny owl swooped in and dropped a letter onto her breakfast. The crest was an "H" surrounded by a lion, a serpent, a raven, and a badger. Sparkie leapt out from under her bacon and chased the annoyed owl away.

Thorn picked up the letter and turned it over. She knew what it was, Severus had told her that it would be coming. She slowly opened it and read it to herself.

_**Hogwarts School**_

_**of Witchcraft and Wizardry**_

**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc. Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwamp, International Confed. of Wizards)_

Dear Miss Rose,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

_Deputy Headmistress_

As she was folding the parchment Severus came in. "Ah, your Hogwarts letter, I presume?"

"Yes," she stated. "So, Severus, when are we going to Diagon Alley?" Thorn had acquired the same slow, silky way of talking that her uncle had, and now she could pronounce her "R's."

"Right now, get your cloak," her uncle said as he took her letter and read over it.

"_Accio cloak!_" She said and the item came speeding towards her. She caught it and turned to Severus, who had a joyless smirk across his face.

"Enjoy being privileged enough to use magic when others your age can't?" She replied with a smirk of her own.

Thorn was now eleven. Her black hair fell down to the small of her back and her dark eyes had lost even more of the little emotion that they had held.

She wore classier robes then she had as a child and didn't have to wear long sleeves when she was without them. She always wore what she and Severus called the cover, even when she washed. It was a black glove that didn't cover her palm. At the top it connected to a silver serpent ring on her middle finger and covered the back of her hand, her wrist, and her forearm nearly to the elbow.

The cover had two purposes, but only one of them would be put into use in the near future. The main one was to hide her Dark Mark, which remained red. Its second use was to collect the blood that pored from her mark when the Dark Lord touched it, but that was only a precaution, after all, Voldemort wasn't in power.

As hard as it was to tell, Thorn had changed a lot since she had been three. What little emotion she had held slipped from her grasp and deep into her mind. Also, she could now speak to all reptiles, thanks to Sparkie. She had the largest vocabulary of anyone Severus knew and acted much older then she was.

Sparkie had also changed. He was a foot long, from nose to tail, and each of his wings was about a foot long too. So, needless to say, Sparkie had big wings and a small body. Also, he and Maken didn't get along as well as they had. The lizard had jealousy issues.

Thorn and Sparkie used floo powder to get to the alley. Sparkie insisted on going first by himself. Thorn sighed and let him try.

"I don't think this will work, Thorn," Severus muttered as Sparkie nearly fell into the floo powder jar.

Thorn sighed, "Nor do I, but we'll let the stubborn lizard try. He'll probably end up in Brazil." Severus quietly chuckled.

Sparkie climbed into the over large wizard fireplace, holding a little clawful of the grey powder. In his high pitched, lizard voice and language, he called, "Diagon Alley!" and threw the powder into the flame. He was engulfed in a roaring fire and disappeared.

"What did he say?" Severus asked after a moment of silence.

"In his language, Diagon Alley, in ours, only god knows. Let's just hope that he can fly to Diagon Alley from wherever he is."

Severus nodded, then he handed the pot to Thorn and said, "Well, if he's trying to find us, we might as well be there."

Thorn nodded and took a bit of floo powder and stepped into the fire place. "Diagon Alley!"

When she emerged from the spinning vortex of fireplaces, she was in Flourish and Blotts. She dusted herself off and heard a loud crack as Severus apperated next to her. "Have you found Sparkie?" he asked blandly.

She shook her head, then they heard an exclamation from somewhere in the street. "Sparkie! Go find Thorn!"

Then came the unmistakable babble from Sparkie, which only Thorn could understand, "I'm lost! I can't find her!" He sounded so pitiful.

Maken Wood closely followed his brother, Oliver, into the bookstore, looking rather annoyed, with a blue and red winged lizard attached to his robes. His dark brown hair fell past his ears and around his deep grey eyes.

Maken had changed remarkably as well. He was more mellowed out, and no longer obsessed with unicorns.

Then Sparkie caught sight of Thorn and, to Maken's great relief, flew to her, leaving the brothers alone. "Thorn!" the winged reptile chattered, "I got lost!"

"Sparkie," Thorn said quietly, "You were bound to get lost. You can't speak human."

Sparkie nodded an agreement and they saw Maken come up to them, Oliver behind him. "Thorn!" he exclaimed. Sparkie glared at him.

"Maken," Thorn nodded in acknowledgement. Maken was too used to this to think anything different.

Oliver smiled and said, "Hello Professor Snape, Thorn."

Severus smiled his usual, joyless way, and said, "Ah, Mr. Wood, did you do that report on swelling solutions?"

Oliver nodded quickly, "Yes, sir."

Severus tilted his head slightly to the side and raised his eyebrows, "All three feet of it?" he crossed his arms over his chest.

Oliver glanced to his brother, then back to the Potions Master and said, "Yes, sir."

Severus continued to watch him for a moment then turned to his niece, "Well, come on, we have to get your books."

Thorn, Maken, and Oliver followed the professor to the desk and they got their books. Thorn got a few extra, seeing as she read an awful lot.

Maken and Oliver walked around with Thorn, Severus, and Sparkie for the day. They went to the stationary shop, and the potions shop, where Thorn bought a huge supply of potions ingredience and vials.

After they had everything but wands and owls the small, oddly matched group went to Olivanders. When they entered the shop it was empty, save for an elderly man standing on a ladder in the corner.

He glanced down at them as they entered and smiled. "Ah, Severus Snape, I remember your wand. Ebony wood, unicorn hair, fifteen inches, excellent for defenses, yes, I remember." He nodded and climbed down from his ladder. "A very good wand."

Severus nodded and said, "Yes, now, this young boy, Maken Wood, needs a wand."

As Mr. Olivander's eyes wandered over Maken, Thorn saw him shudder. Mr. Olivander could be a bit creepy. "Ah, yes, I have just the thing." He disappeared into the back of the shop and returned minuets later, holding a slender wand in his fragile hands. "Here, try this."

Maken took the light wood into his hand and held it out. Nothing happened. Mr. Olivander snatched it back and went to get another.

About an hour later they still hadn't found a wand. Oliver sat slumped in one of the chairs, prodding the arm with mounting boredom. Severus was standing against the wall, staring at the floor in deep thought. Thorn was trying to shush Sparkie, who was complaining rather loudly about how long this was taking. Thorn was grateful that she was the only one that could understand him.

They were all startled to their scenes when Mr. Olivander yelled, "Ah hah!" and the wand Maken was holding shot out gold and red sparks.

Mr. Olivander took the wand back and put it in its box. "Maple, holding a single phoenix tail feather, fifteen inches long." He handed the box to an exasperated Maken. "This wand will be best in Transfiguration."

Maken took his box and his brother paid, "Thanks."

Mr. Olivander smiled then looked to Thorn. "And you, you're a first year as well? Let me find you a wand."

"That won't be necessary, Olivander," Severus stated as the wand maker began to walk to the back of his shop.

He turned around. "What's that? Does she not need a wand?"

Severus shook his head. "She has one. Her mother's, my sister's."

Olivander's eyes widened, Oliver shifted uncomfortably. Maken looked a bit confused. Why in the world would it be such a big deal?

After a long, awkward silence, Mr. Olivander said, "Dark ebony, dragon heart string, fourteen inches. An excellent dueling wand, and produces powerful curses. The wand... the very same wand that..." he broke off and looked at Thorn as if he had just realized who she was.

Thorn, who had been watching with unblinking eyes, said, "Yes, the very same."

Mr. Olivander stared at her for a moment longer then nodded. "I see, it served your mother well, let us hope it will do the same for you."

They left the wand shop without a word. Maken was rather confused. "What was that about?" he asked Thorn, who was staring at the ground, her left hand up to her neck, holding her medallion, her robes' sleeve falling to her elbow, exposing her arm cover.

She looked up to him. "Nothing," she stated simply, her eyes showing nothing to betray her thoughts.

Severus put a hand on her shoulder and leaned down to whisper to her, "No one your own age knows about it, Thorn, not even Maken, don't worry."

She looked up to him and nodded. She had figured they wouldn't. With Harry Potter surviving Voldemort not even a year earlier, her murders had been quite over looked, yet it would still be hard for her to make friends. She now used occlumency without thinking about it, like a natural thing to her. And it wasn't like not making friends was a bad thing, in fact, it's what she wanted.

They reached their final destination, the pet store. Severus turned to Thorn and said, "I need to go to Gringots, when you're done wait here, I'll be right back. And please, don't get anything, exotic."

Thorn gave an empty laugh, "Don't worry, I won't." Severus smirked then strode down the alley and out of sight.

Oliver sighed in relief and said, "I'll be right back, gotta go look at the Quidditch shop." Then he, too, left Maken and Thorn.

Maken turned to his friend and said, "Exotic? What does he mean?"

Thorn smirked, "I have a few pets back home that aren't very common."

Maken looked at her and smiled, "Oh really? What are they?"

Thorn rubbed Sparkie's head and said, "Well, Talon's a Hippogriff, Feather's a Pegasus --really rare they are-- and guess what Shooter is, Maken." She smiled to him as best she could.

He raised his eyebrows, "What?"

She laughed hollowly and said, "A unicorn."

Maken laughed loudly as they entered the shop. "Seriously? A unicorn? That's funny."

Thorn nodded and looked around at the animals in the cages, "Yes, I thought it was amusing myself." She stopped in front of a cage in the back. There was a young, black owl in this one. "Um, sir?" she asked the shopkeeper. "How much is this owl?"

The man stopped dead and said quietly, "Folks 'ere tink dat dat dere owl is cursed, dey say dat she's been seen all round da wo'ld, waitin for folks to die!"

Thorn nodded, "That's interesting, but that didn't answer my question. How much does she cost?"

The man seemed a bit dumbfounded. "Ya mean ya wan' to buy 'er?" Thorn nodded. "Well, blimey, das amazin'! She's tree sickles."

Thorn took out her money pouch and set the coins on the table. The worker, however, refused to get the owl out of the cage, so Thorn had to do it herself. She put the wonderful bird into a cage that came with her and turned to find Maken, who was admiring a white bird near the counter.

"She's beautiful..." she heard him whisper as she got closer.

"You like her?" Thorn asked, rather unnecessarily.

"Yes I do!" he said in a barely audible voice. "She's beautiful!" he turned to his friend and said, "I think I'll get her!"

Thorn nodded. "Go ahead."

After they had bought the white owl they headed out. They sat on a bench outside of the owl shop and waited outside for Severus and Oliver to return. Then Maken said, "What are you naming your owl?"

Thorn glanced to him, then back to the beautiful bird in front of her. She heard Sparkie make a sound of disdain and thought to him, _Sparkie! Don't get jealous! _He didn't respond.

"Midnight," she finally concluded. "Like the color of her feathers. And yours?"

Maken's brow furrowed in thought, then he said, "She'll be Wind. What d'you think?"

Thorn nodded. "That's a good name for an owl."

"Okay, uh... Wand, wand... where do I get that?" The two glanced up to see a boy about their age looking at his Hogwarts letter, carrying everything he needed except a wand and an owl if he wanted one. He had light brown hair that was spiked, the tips of the spikes were blue.

Maken set Wind down on the bench and walked over to the kid. Thorn watched them for a while, then turned to Sparkie, who was giving Midnight the death stare. Midnight, in returned, glared at him with dangerous eyes.

"Sparkie!" she hissed, "What is wrong with you?" She picked up the lizard by his tail and brought him to eye level with her. "No one is taking your place!"

Sparkie crossed his little arms and turned his head away in a pout, still being held upside-down by his friend. She sighed and set him down, and he crawled into her robes pocket without a word.

Then Maken came back, sat back down. "Did you help him?" Thorn asked.

Maken nodded, "He needed help finding Olivander's."

"What was his name?" Thorn asked as Midnight ruffled her feathers.

"Uh, I didn't ask," he stated as he stood, for Oliver was on his way back.

"Did you get everything you needed?" he asked as he got close enough for them to hear him. Maken nodded, "All right, let's get going." He began to walk away.

Maken sighed, "Well, see ya later, Thorn!" he said as he ran to catch up with his brother.

"Good bye." About fifteen minuets later Severus returned.

"Ready?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied and they headed back to Flourish and Blotts.

Back at their home, Thorn sat against one of the trees surrounding her house, reading over her school books. Sparkie was on her shoulder, glaring up at Midnight who was perched upon a branch above them.

Thorn was reading through her transfiguration book when a shadow covered her. She looked up to see the beautiful grey form of Feather standing above her. The Pegasus's wings were folded at her sides, so they seemed small, but in reality they were huge to carry her weight.

She neighed and gently ran her head against Thorn's shoulder. Thorn smiled and stood up. She stroked the Pegasus's neck and rubbed her forehead. Then they heard a whinny from somewhere to their left.

Shooter came speeding out of the woods and right to Thorn, his long, silver mane flowing behind him as he reared up onto his hind legs and neighed.

Thorn rolled her eyes a bit, then whispered to Feather, "I think he's showing off." Feather threw back her head and snorted.

Then the black hippogriff, Talon, came forward. He called to Shooter, most likely mocking him. Thorn noticed that Shooter had a thing for Feather, and that Talon mocked him for it.

Shooter walked to Thorn and Feather, ignoring Talon, and neighed lowly. Talon came up to her too. "I don't know," Thorn said after a moment, "What we're going to do. When I go to school, I don't know where you'll be going."

"They'll be going with you, Thorn." She turned around. Severus was standing in the doorway. "I've asked Professor Dumbledore, and he says that they can stay in the forbidden forest. We can't have them here alone."

Thorn nodded, "Ah, I see, okay." She followed him back inside.

Severus looked up to her. He was reading the daily prophet in his chair, and she was in hers, reading the book _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_, or, she seemed to be, but the professor noticed that her eyes were not moving, and she seemed to be thinking. "Is something bothering you, Thorn?"

She looked up to him, her eyes troubled. Finally, she said, "Severus, I'm in danger, aren't I?"

Severus watched her, "What makes you think that?"

She looked down to the floor and sighed. "Remember the night that I killed them?" She had never talked about that night before, and neither of them knew how to take it.

After a long silence, Severus said, "Yes, I do. Why?"

She sighed. "I was never asleep, I heard the Prophecy. I'm in danger, aren't I? That's why I use occlumency, that's why I was taught the curses, that's why, wherever I go, I'm not alone."

Severus stared at her. "You were awake?" She nodded, "Ah, I see." He sighed, "I don't know, Thorn. I don't know what's going to happen."

She sighed. "That's why I cursed myself, when I was six," she suddenly stated, "Because I knew that something bad was going to happen."

Severus nodded. "I can't believe that you remember that."

Thorn shrugged, "When you don't have emotions to block the way, your memory improves. I remember everything from when I got this," she gestured to her Dark Mark.

"Ah," her uncle said quietly. "You were so young, it amazes me. Are you afraid of what the future brings?"

Thorn shook her head firmly. "No, I do not fear death, pain, danger. Fear is an emotion that I refuse to admit to."

"You must fear something," Severus insisted.

Thorn thought about it, then said, "If I do, it is one thing, loosing the only family I have. I don't want to loose anymore of my family." She shook her head, "That would be the end of me."

Severus nodded. "You'll never loose me, Thorn, I won't let anyone kill me."

She sighed, "'She shall bring death to those closest to her.' It is said that I will," she whispered. "I wouldn't be able to live if I killed you."

Severus sighed. "You won't kill me."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked quietly, Sparkie looked in on them from Thorn's room, "No one ever suspected that I would kill Severa and Romulus, but it happened."

"Thorn, I know that you won't. You can't. You were young. You wouldn't be able to now, your heart won't allow it. You said it yourself, your one fear is to loose me, why would you do it yourself?"

She sighed. "I don't know." Then she stood and Sparkie flew to her shoulder. "I should go to bed, I have to get on the Hogwarts express tomorrow. Good night."

"Night, Thorn," Severus said as she walked into her room.


	5. Welcome to the School

**Disclaimer: (as said many times before) Sparkie and Thorn are the only two that are mine. Maken Wood and Cade Roran belong to Maken-Wood, Celestial Moon belongs to Setalina Muro, and Taffy Trelawney belongs to my sister, who has no Fanfiction account.**

**Author's Note: Woo! At the school! (FINALLY) Please forgive my HORRID sorting hat song... it SUCKS sooo bad... Oh well, I'll get over that. I played hell trying to get names for the other people in their year, not fun... Please R&R!!!**

Chapter five

Welcome to the School

"Thorn, I've got to get to the school. Here." Severus pointed to a newspaper. "This portkey will bring you to the platform. I'll see you at school. I have to get going. Good bye." He put his hand on Thorn's shoulder then apparated away.

Thorn sighed and made sure that Sparkie was with her. She went over everything that she needed and made sure she had it all. She had sent her animals to the castle already so she wasn't really worried about them.

She wasn't wearing her robes; she was wearing what she wore under them. A tight black tank top, and form fitting black class pants. Her leather boots came to just above her ankle. Her wrist was covered as it always was, and her medallion fell to the center of her sternum. She couldn't go walking around a muggle port dressed as a witch.

When she was sure that she had everything that she needed she touched the portkey and felt herself being pulled along with it. Her hand couldn't leave the paper.

She ended up in an empty girl's lavatory. She gathered all of her things and shredded the portkey. She walked into the lobby and got herself a trolley.

She heard Sparkie's annoyed thoughts. He was in her trunk, rather annoyed at such as well. After all, muggles weren't accustomed to seeing winged lizards.

She pushed her trolley down the platforms, people not giving her a second glance. She walked along until she got to the platforms nine and ten. She set her trolley even with the wall and pushed it strait into it, going through the brick wall, and into platform nine and three-quarters, where the Hogwarts Express sat waiting.

She climbed aboard and went into an empty compartment and sat, waiting. Not five minuets later she heard the door open and looked up to see Maken standing in the door way. "Can I come in?"

She nodded and opened her trunk, letting the annoyed Sparkie out. He flew circles around their heads, Wind and Midnight watching him.

Maken sat across from her and said, "We're actually going to Hogwarts! I've heard my brother talking about it for a long time. He's in his fourth year now, and he was named the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team last year."

Thorn nodded. "He must be happy."

"Oh you should see him! He's like the most popular kid in his house..."

Thorn looked up to him from her book and said, "Is that a good thing? You don't seem too happy about it."

Maken shrugged, "I dunno, he's so popular, and people are going to have so many expectations of me. What if I can't fulfill them?"

Thorn smiled as kindly as she could, "Don't worry about it; you're not going to have to work up to expectations. It will be okay."

Maken was about to respond when they heard the door open again. The kid from Diagon Alley stood there. "Hi, may I share this compartment?"

Maken nodded and Thorn stayed silent, her usual way of agreement. He sat on the same side as Maken but a bit away from him. Then, just as he was about to say something, the door opened again, and a girl stood in the doorway, her long auburn hair pulled into a neat low ponytail.

"Hey!" she said, a bit too perky for Thorn's liking. "Can I share this compartment?"

Maken smiled, "Sure! Come on in!"

She smiled back and sat next to Thorn. After an awkward silence she said, "Ah, Yes, well, my name's Celestial, Celestial Moon, and you are?" She asked the group of them.

"I'm Maken Wood," Maken said.

"Cade Roran," the other boy said.

Thorn sighed. "I'm Thorn Rose."

Celestial smiled. "Nice to meat you all!" She put her trunk on top with the others and set her golden owl next to Wind, Midnight, and Cade's black and brown owl, who was named Cody. "Oh, this is Kara, by the way. So, any of you have your hearts set on a house that you want?"

Cade shook his head, "My dad's a muggle, so I don't have any clue on what house I'd want."

"What about your mom?" Maken asked, "Is she a muggle too?"

Cade looked down, and Thorn noticed that his left hand went to his wrist, where he had a leather bracelet with a tiger fang hanging from it. "She's dead."

"You're mom died? I'm sorry," Maken said, "I don't know what I'd do without mine. Thorn's parents died when she was young too."

Thorn sighed as Cade said, "Really? How?"

She shook her head, "It's nothing."

Maken realized that Thorn hadn't wanted that to be a topic so he said, "Well, I'd like to be in Gryffindor. My whole family has been in Gryffindor for ages."

Celestial nodded, "I'd like to be in Gryffindor myself. My mother was. What about you, Thorn?"

"Slytherin." Celestial looked taken aback. "My mother was in Slytherin, as was my uncle. Besides, I would be unable to wear this." She pointed to her medallion.

"Ooh! Let me see!" She went to take the medallion into her hand but Thorn took it quickly into hers.

"No. It was my mothers. It says 'Slytherin and Proud.' If I were not in Slytherin, I would be unable to wear it."

Celestial nodded. "Ah, okay."

They were silent for most of the trip. When the food trolley came by, they bought a few things. Cade loved the Chocolate Frogs.

Then a prefect walked by and said, "You'd better change into your robes, we'll be there soon."

They quietly pulled their robes on. Sparkie, who had been sleeping in Thorn's, got up annoyed and flew around their heads. Maken sighed and ignored the reptile, but both Cade and Celestial were interested in him.

"Oh! What's that?" Celestial asked.

"His name is Sparkie, don't mind him, he can be a bit hyper." Thorn held out her hand and he landed on her closed fist and crawled to her shoulder.

"And overprotective," Maken muttered. Thorn chose to ignore him.

The train slowed and finally stopped. The group of them went out and followed the swarm of students. When they were outside, the sun had set and lanterns were set up along the roads. They heard a booming voice over the crowd. "Firs' years! Over here!"

Thorn looked up to see Rubius Hagrid standing above the heads of the students. She had forgotten how tall he was.

They walked over to the calls and he said, "Righ', everybody here? Kay, then let's get goin'!" He led them to the lake, where many small boats were docked.

Hagrid took one to himself and the students got into their own. Thorn, Maken, Cade, and Celestial got into one. They followed Hagrid to the castle, the ors rowing themselves, Sparkie sitting at the bow, barking orders to the lifeless ors like a slave driver, and loving every moment of it. Thorn scolded him under her breath, but he didn't stop.

When they reached the castle, Hagrid pointed them to the entry hall. "Professor McGonagall will be waitin' for ye there."

They went right to the doors, where, sure enough, Thorn saw the unmistakable figure of Professor McGonagall. She hadn't seen her for eight years, yet she hadn't changed at all.

"Welcome to Hogwarts! You are going to be sorted into your houses now. I will lead you into the hall, and you will wait until I call your name from this scroll, then you will come up, and I will place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted. Well, come on; let's not keep the hall waiting for dinner!" She turned around and opened the large oak doors.

There were many gasps among the students as they entered the huge hall. The house tables were set up, students sitting, waiting for the sorting to get over so they could eat.

McGonagall lead them down the center tables, Gryffindor and Slytherin. Thorn kept her head held high, Sparkie sitting in her pocket, staring out at the watching students. Thorn saw Oliver wave to his brother, and Maken nervously waved back.

They gathered before the high table. Severus smiled slightly down to Thorn, who smirked back. McGonagall looked down to the students and then to a rather battered old hat. Most of the first years jumped when suddenly the hat moved and broke out into song.

__

_"When I was just a hat, you see, _

_the founders came together._

_They all knew what they had to do,_

_and that it had to last forever. _

_To make a school for wizards,_

_that was they're master plan._

_They worked throughout the years,_

_and brought their plan to hand._

_When the school was finally done,_

_the four founders swelled with pride._

_now young witches and wizards had a place,_

_where they didn't need to hide._

_The founders were not only great,_

_but close in mind and soul._

_They had a bond of friendship,_

_and it was thought to never fall._

_Yet each founder was different,_

_they each had their own ideas,_

_it was these seperate thoughts,_

_that made each house ideal._

_Gryffindor was for those with strength,_

_and those with noble hearts,_

_these few things alone, _

_set these students apart._

_Ravenclaw herself, favored those with brains,_

_Their brilliance was well known._

_they could master anything,_

_and their skills had always shone._

_Those that went to Hufflepuff,_

_worked hardest for their place,_

_they always did their best,_

_No matter what the case._

_To Slytherin went the strong of mind, _

_and the stubborn to heart did too,_

_Their ambitious minds set them aside,_

_they fight for what they find true._

_Now that you know about them,_

_what house do you well fit?_

_Well, just put me upon your head,_

_and I'll place you into it."_

__

The hall broke into applause and the hat bowed dramatically. Then it stopped moving again. Minerva took the scroll and began to read off names. "Belden, Louis!"

A rather nervous looking boy stepped forward, his hands shaking a bit. He sat on the stool, and McGonagall placed the hat on his head. After a moment of silence, the hat cried, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

A large cry erupted from the Hufflepuff table as Louis Belden, smiling, ran to his table and took a seat.

"Ceaira, Piper!" a girl about Thorn's height came forward. She had blonde hair that came to the middle of her shoulder blades. Her bright blue eyes showed nervousness.

After a moment the hat screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

They watched as the students were named off and sorted. Ceris, Hufflepuff. Chang, Ravenclaw. Davis, Ravenclaw. Dawson, Ravenclaw.

After a large line of students, McGonagall called, "Moon, Celestial!"

Celestial walked up nervously. Thorn could have sworn that she saw Albus Dumbledore, who was sitting at the head table next to Severus, wink at her.

After a moment, the hat cried, "GRYFFINDOR!" and Celestial walked, grinning, to her hollering house table.

_Well, _Thorn thought as Nelson, Zoe was sorted into Ravenclaw, _Celestial got what she wanted. Maybe we will to._

Then the stream of student names continued. Neviare, Ninor, Rees, Revour, and finally, to someone else Thorn knew. "Roran, Cade!"

Cade walked forward, looking both nervous and confused. The sorting hat was dropped onto his head and it quickly said, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Thorn and Maken clapped along with the rest of the school as Cade walked to the Gryffindor table. Thorn leaned over to Maken and said, "Don't worry; you'll be there, too."

Then McGonagall called, "Rose, Thorn!"

She walked steadily to the stool and sat down. She could feel the eyes of the school on her. She had no doubts on getting in Slytherin. She heard the hat talk inside her head. _Ah... You are a difficult mind to unravel. Strong in mind and power. A brilliant mind, at that. Strong spirit. Impenetrable wall blocking out emotions. Difficult to place. How can I when I can't read you?_

_Get used to it, _Thorn thought, _I reveal my mind to no one._

_Ah, very well, _the hat said, _You are also determined, I see, and stubborn. I know exactly where you'll go... _"SLYTHERIN!"

She felt the hat rise from her head and looked around. The Slytherins were cheering loudly. She glanced to Severus, who was clapping along with the rest, his dark eyes showing pride.

She walked to her house table and sat down. She looked to Maken, who smiled and gave her the thumbs up sign.

Soon, there were only three people left. Maken, some boy with brown hair that was cut unevenly, and a blonde girl with really long hair, who was wearing pink robes. It hurt Thorn just to look at her.

"Trelawney, Taffy!" McGonagall called and the girl with the pink robes skipped up to the stool, humming happily.

She sat on the stool, bobbing up and down in a happy way. McGonagall had to grab her shoulder to stop her moving to put the hat on her. It was on for a total of three seconds before the hat cried "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"I bet it wanted to sort her quickly to get her away!" Sparkie muttered to Thorn.

She smiled, "Would it surprise you?"

When Wilkes, Pike was sorted into Slytherin Maken was the last one there. "Wood, Maken!"

He quickly walked to the stool and sat down. It didn't take long for the hat to yell, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The hall went crazy, some because Maken got into Gryffindor and some because the sorting was finally over. Thorn was probably the only Slytherin clapping for the first reason.

When Maken sat down, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "Welcome to Hogwarts! A grand new year has begun! Yet, as I do at the beginning of every year, I must mention the rules. To first years, and to some older students, I might add, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds. Also, Mr. Filch's list of forbidden items had grown over the summer and can be viewed in his office. Well, as I can see, most of you are rather annoyed and would like to eat, so, let the feast begin!"

He sat back down and the silver plates in front of them filled with food. Sparkie's eyes widened and he said, "I've died and gone to heaven!" Then he leapt onto her plate and began to load it with foods.

"Thorn!" She turned to see Maken turned around himself right behind her on his table. Next to him was Cade, and across from them was Celestial. "You happy?"

Thorn raised one of her eyebrows. "Maken..." she said in a slightly annoyed voice.

"Oh! Yeah, nevermind." He turned around, as did Thorn. She heard Celestial ask him something, and he muttered, "Nothing."

Then she heard Antonette Sloan, one of the girls in her year, say, quite loudly, "Well, _my_ family is the best of the purebloods. We've never crossbred in any generation."

Thorn rolled her eyes slightly in annoyance. The two emotions that she was the most familiar with were anger and annoyance. It took vast amounts of them for anyone with a mantel connection to catch them.

Yet, Antonette had caught her eye roll. "What? You think you're better?"

Thorn was very tempted to say, "I know I'm better," but she settled on shrugging and taking a gulp of pumpkin juice.

Antonette snorted. "Well, it's only obvious that you don't have _pure _pure blood. You just don't look it. I can't believe that you got into Slytherin at all."

"I am too pure blood, and there's more to getting into a house then your blood. Only you wouldn't know that, I doubt that there's much that you do know." Thorn picked up her fork and began to prod her potatoes, not really hungry.

It seemed to take Antonette a while before she got what Thorn was saying. "Are you calling me stupid?" She finally asked.

Thorn sighed. She didn't use much sarcasm, yet she was thankful that it wasn't an emotion. "Nah."

Antonette's face grew red in anger and Phillis Ninor, one of the girls who had been listening to her, said, "Watch yourself! I'll tell Professor Snape!"

Thorn almost laughed. "He won't do anything to me."

"How can you be so sure?" Manuel Graham asked her harshly.

She sighed, "Why would he? I've done nothing wrong. Apparently you have no common scene either. It's remarkable that you got into Hogwarts at all."

Darret Nevaire burst into forced laughter. "Ah, you think you're so clever! What makes you think that, eh? You're prob'ly no better then the rest of us!"

She turned to him, "Tell me this then, what potion will temporarily change you into the physical form of another?" She mentally thanked the book _Most Potent Potions_. She had memorized it.

Neviare blinked twice then looked to Graham, who shrugged. She smiled. "What makes me think I'm better? Nothing. I just know a bit more than you do, because I read."

"Well then, what's the answer?" Manuel asked, yet Thorn had stood, for the hall was beginning to empty, and walked off.

"Why didn't you tell them that Severus is your uncle?" Sparkie asked her from her shoulder, "They wouldn't bug you then!"

"Yes they would," Thorn stated as she followed the prefect out of the hall and waved to Maken, Cade, and Celestial as they parted ways, "It wouldn't matter, and they'll know soon enough anyway."

Sparkie nodded then crawled down her arm and into her pocket. The prefect led them to the Dungeons and to a hall with a dead end. Then he said, "Serpent Tongue!"

The bricks of the wall moved into one another and the Slytherin common room was exposed. "Alright, Girls Dormitory is on the left and up the staircase, boys is on the right," He recited the lines rather boredly. "Your things have been brought up already."

Thorn, unlike most of her classmates, went strait to her dorm. It was a rather large circular room with four four poster beds. "Sparkie?" She asked when she was alone. "Did you give Maken that note, explaining my spell?"

Sparkie looked up to her and grinned sheepishly. "Sparkie!"

"Sorry, Thorn! But I..." he shrank under her stern gaze.

She sighed, "Sparkie, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to worry, he will _not _take your place!"

Sparkie huffed and crawled under her covers. Thorn sighed and scribbled a note in her small, neat handwriting.

_Maken, _

_Don't mind this note so late. Sparkie was supposed to give you one ages ago, yet he... forgot... This is explaining a spell that I made. Don't try now, or, if you want to, go ahead, but if you want to see to me, point your wand to a flat surface and say the word, "Sparkify," then, if you want to talk to me, point it to your lips and say it again, and to make sure that only you can hear what I say, point to your ears and repeat it, otherwise everyone around you will hear what goes on over here. Then, to stop it, point to the surface and say, "I have seen," to your lips and say, "I have spoken," and to your ears, "I have heard." Have fun with it. Since I figured that we would be in different houses, I thought that I would make a way to communicate. This spell lets you see through Sparkie's eyes, talk through him, and hear what he hears._

_Thorn Rose_

She whistled lowly and Midnight came swooping to her from her cage. Sparkie glared at the bird. "Hey! Why aren't you using me!?"

"Because," Thorn chittered back, "If I do, you'll _forget _it, again." She tied the message to Midnights leg and said, in human language, "Take it to Maken, first year Gryffindor boys' dorm."

She opened the window near her bed. It was the same size as all the other windows in the dorms, but only about two feet above the ground. Midnight flew strait out of it and into the night.

She closed her window and laid down. She heard Sparkie ruffle around, pretending to be asleep. _Sparkie,_ she thought to him and he instantly stopped moving, _I can tell when you're awake, you know that._

He burrowed deeper into the covers, pouting still, then they heard footsteps as the other girls came up. Thorn sighed as the Dormitory door swung open and Antonette Sloan, Dreara Horst, and Phillis Ninor came in, laughing rather loudly.

"Oh," Antonette said suddenly, in a disgusted voice, "It's you. Sorry, I never did catch your name. What was it?" Thorn knew she was looking for something to mock her about, but it would take much more then that to break her.

"I am entitled to keep my name from you, though you will only have to wait until tomorrow to find it out. Yet even then, I doubt that it will penetrate through your thick skull."

Antonette scowled, then said, "Well, then I won't tell you mine."

"Antonette Sloan." Thorn stated simply, making her dorm mate look up. "Unlike you, I listened during the sorting." She picked up her book and began to read.

Antonette was a rather... large girl. She had a pudgy face and her hair was a bronze color. Phillis Ninor was a small girl. She was paper thin, her hair was a dull orange, like it was dieing right on her head. Dreara, however, was about Thorn's size, a bit shorter then she was, and her build was slightly different.

Thorn had a pretty muscular body, because of her constant training to strengthen both her mind and body. In fact, she was probably under the 'very good looking' category, but she didn't care.

The other girls in her dorm shook their heads in disgust and began to change into night dresses. Thorn continued to read. Antonette sat on her bed and watched Thorn. "Aren't you going to change too? Or are you too good for us to change in front of us?"

Thorn's eyes never left the book, "Why would I change when I'm not going to bed yet?"

"Well, because you're not going anywhere else," Antonette said.

"You're name's Thorn Rose," Phillis suddenly said, Dreara and Antonette looked to her.

Thorn smiled coldly, "I'm glad that you took the time to read my trunk." Sparkie snickered from under her covers. Even when he was pouting, he loved his friend's cleverness.

Phillis crossed her arms over her chest and put her nose into the air. "I was wondering how long it would take one of you to find out that my name was under your noses for such a long time."

Antonette stepped right up to Thorn's bed and stood above her. "You had better watch yourself, Rose," she said, trying to intimidate Thorn, "We share a dorm; you don't want to get on my bad side."

_C'mon! Tell 'em! _Sparkie thought to her, disposing of his anger, _They wouldn't mess with you if they knew that Severus is your uncle!_

_No, _Thorn agreed, _But they wouldn't if they knew that I'd killed people as well, and we don't have to tell them that. There are many ways of making sure that they don't think twice about doing anything._

"Antonette," Thorn said, shaking her head, "You understand nothing. I do not fear you, so don't try to scare me."

Dreara snorted, but said nothing as she climbed into bed. Thorn then stood and stripped of her robes and changed into her bedclothes, a loose black tank top and loose black pants. Her cover stayed in place, as always.

"Why do you wear that?" Antonette asked harshly.

"I don't have to explain everything to you." Thorn was about to climb into her covers when a tap came at her window. She opened it and Midnight swooped in, a piece of parchment attached to her leg.

Thorn took the note and read it to herself.

_Thorn,_

_Ah, that will come in handy, thanks. It doesn't surprise me that he "forgot" at all. He isn't very fond of me. _

_Maken_

Thorn folded the parchment back up and she heard Antonette snicker. "Who's that from? You're _boyfriend?_"

Thorn sighed. "No, my _best _friend." She climbed into her covers as Midnight settled in her cage. She heard the others get into their beds and the light went out.


	6. Class with Severus

**Disclaimer: Only Thorn and Sparkie, blah blah blah, Maken and Cade belong to Maken-Wood... blah blah blah, Celestial to Setalina Muro, blah blah blah, Tafft to my sister, blah blah blah, have I said it enough times yet?**

**Author's Note: Okay, despite the lack of reviews hint hint I'm still gonna post this! Woo! Yeah, whatever. As the name implies, Class with Severus!**

Chapter six

Class with Severus

In the morning, Thorn was the first to awake. She had not dreamed, she never did.

She got up and dressed quietly, not wanting to wake the others. It was really early, earlier then any student in their right mind would be up.

Sparkie was sleeping under her covers, moving around in his sleep. He always did. Thorn herself wouldn't move all night, for, without emotion, she didn't dream. Sparkie, however, dreamed every night.

_Sparkie! _She thought to him, not wanting to talk aloud to wake her fellow Slytherins.

_Eh... oaway... _he muttered back to her.

She sighed and took him from the covers, laying him flat on his back in her palm, his wings and tail hanging off of her hand. She took the tip of one of his overlarge wings and picked it up. Letting it drop, she rolled her eyes a bit. _He's like a rag doll, _she thought to herself.

Placing him carefully onto her shoulder, she began to desend into the Slytherin common room. Midnight flew after her and landed on the opposite shoulder then Sparkie.

Very few students were in the common room, and even those who were seemed too out of it to notice her walk by. When she was on the fields, the sun was still far from rising. Sparkie stirred slightly, looked up at the sky, and moaned. _Why in the world did you get me up this freaking early?_

_Did you forget about Shooter, Feather, and Talon? _Thorn asked as Midnight began to fly ahead of the pair.

_Oh... Them..._ Sparkie muttered and put his head back down.

_Oh, Sparkie, _Thorn thought silently. She shook her head and continued towards the forbidden forest. Dumbledore _had _said that no one was to enter the forest, but he had also said that her animals could stay there, and if he didn't think that she was going to go see them, he was quite mistaken.

At the edge of the forest Thorn halted. She wasn't afraid of what she'd find within it; after all, fear was an emotion. She was just cautious. Years of self training made her such.

She finally entered the forest, her nerves and scenes all around her, her power pulsing from her. She whistled and waited, wondering if her animals were still alive, and if they could hear her.

Thorn was about to turn and leave when she heard a shrill call. _Talon, _she thought.

_Feh..._

_Oh shut up, Sparkie!_

The Hippogriff, who had been flying above, landed within the mass of trees. Thorn bowed slightly, to show him that she meant respect, and he immediately bowed back. Despite the fact that he had been hers for nearly two months, she still showed him that she didn't want to hurt his pride, and he didn't want to hurt hers.

Then the white and grey forms of Shooter and Feather came forwards. _They're together? _Sparkie was amazed by that. Feather usually had nothing to do with the unicorn.

_Hmm? _Thorn looked up, and she too watched at the two of them, then she said, _Perhaps she's finally accepted him as a friend. _

_Perhaps... _

"Shooter, Feather, Talon, you all made it here in one piece." She stroked each of them in turn. They seemed fit enough, all of them seeming to have gotten enough food. "Are you guys watching out for each other?"

"Don't waist your breath, they can't understand you," Sparkie squeaked, and he batted at Midnight with his tail. She squawked and bit it. Yelping, he climbed halfway down Thorn's arm, glaring at the black owl, who had a smug look on her face.

"You never know," Thorn said as she ran her hand over Midnight's smooth feathers. "Pegasus are extremely brilliant." Then she turned back to the horse like animals in front of her and said, "We'd better get back to the castle," she rubbed Feather's forehead. "I'll come back whenever I can."

The pegasus nodded and whinnied something to the others. "See?" she hissed to Sparkie, "She understands me."

"Whatever," Sparkie shrugged and climbed into her pocket.

By the time that they got back to the castle, the sun was nearly risen. Midnight flew off to the owlery to sleep for the day. Inside the great hall, the breakfast plates were already filled, and kept refilling themselves, as the early birds ate. None of them, Thorn noticed, were first years.

She pulled her book bag higher onto her shoulder and walked to her table. Severus was at the high table, watching the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Quirrel was calmly talking to Severus, his dark brown hair coming right to his temples.

She ate a little, and Sparkie began to feast on bacon. When she was finished, she sat reading her new book, _The Worlds Dragons_, to herself.

When the students began to pour in, Thorn looked for Maken among the heads of them. She saw the unmistakable figure of Taffy Trelawney, who was in violet robes today, walk by, surrounded in her Hufflepuff friends. Then Celestial came to her, Cade by her side. "Thorn, how do you wake Maken up?"

Thorn blinked, "You mean he's still asleep?" Celestial nodded and Cade laughed.

"He's unmovable! He sleeps like he's dead."

Thorn sighed, "He might as well be," she muttered. "Bring me to the Gryffindor common room."

"What?" Celestial asked in shock. "Thorn, that's not right, you're in Slytherin."

Thorn shrugged, "So? We need to get him up for class, and I'm probably the only one, aside from his mother, that can do so. It doesn't really matter anyway, its not like I'm ever going to go in there to cause mischief or anything."

Celestial looked hesitant, but Cade said, "Well, come on then!" and he began to walk out of the hall, Thorn following him, and Celestial following her reluctantly.

When they got to the Gryffindor portal, Cade said, "Hippogriff," and the Fat Lady opened the portrait hole, not noticing the Slytherin crest on Thorn's robes. "Our dormitory is up there." Cade said, pointing up the stairs.

Thorn, ignoring the surprised remarks from the few students left in the common room, walked up the stairs to the dormitory. She opened the door to the dimly lit room, and saw Maken, covers tangling him, sprawled over his bed. He was lying on his stomach, his head in his pillow, breathing evenly.

"Maken!" Thorn said loudly, shaking him.

He muttered something and turned his head to the opposite wall.

"So sorry, didn't catch that," Thorn said sarcastically.

Then he turned back to her and blinked his eyes opened. They widened a bit in surprise, then he mumbled, "Thorn? This is the _Gryffindor **boy's**_ dormitory... what are you doing here?"

She sighed, "Well, Maken, I was going to hop into a bed and sleep. Obviously, I'm here to wake you up, classes start soon."

He sighed and muttered something like, "First day, they'll understand."

"Ah, yes, well, you have potions first, with me."

"Mmm..." he pulled his covers up higher.

"Severus teaches potions, Maken."

His eyes snapped open. "Oh! Shoot!" he stood up and began rummaging through his stuff. Thorn stood back, with her arms crossed over her chest, watching him smugly.

"Um... Thorn? Do you mind?"

She smiled slightly and turned out of the dorm. When she got to the bottom she said, "He's up now. Well, I'd better leave before someone has a fit about the Slytherin in the Gryffindor's common room."

Cade nodded and Celestial said, "I'll go down there with you."

They left the common room as Cade walked up to his dormitory. Celestial turned to Thorn, who was staring at the ground, not talking, and said, "So... Maken tells us that Professor Snape is your... uncle, was it?"

Thorn nodded. "Yes, he is."

"Ah, okay."

Thorn looked back to her and shook her head. She had planned on not making any friends, yet it seemed like that wasn't going to happen.

When they got to the potions dungeon, Thorn and Celestial sat at the closest cauldron to Severus's desk. The professor was sitting in it, looking over papers. The rest of the students were there already, yet the classroom was quiet as ever. Soon, Cade walked in. He sighed and sat on Celestial's other side.

"Where's Maken?" Thorn whispered.

"He'll be here, don't worry."

"I know he'll be here," she replied, "I'm just wondering if it'll be on time or not."

Near to one minute before the bell rang, Maken came running in, a piece of toast in his mouth, his robes obviously rushed on, and his Gryffindor tie, instead of around his neck, was around his head. The class snickered as he sat on the other side of Thorn. Severus sighed and shook his head.

Thorn sighed, _If I hadn't known him for so long I would be worried for his sanity._

_I'm always worried for his sanity, _remarked Sparkie, who was still in her pocket.

Thorn ignored him and looked to Maken, who seemed clueless beyond everything. "Maken..." she said quietly, and, as he looked at her, she tapped her head with two fingers.

"What...?" He said as he followed what she did, his fingers hit cloth, and a look of sudden realization came into his eyes. "Oh!" He quickly pulled his tie down and around his neck. He tightened it a bit too much and began to gag. Thorn sighed and loosened it up for him. He smiled a thanks to her, his face a bit red.

Severus stood and looked over the class. "Ah, another year, another group of mindless students that I have to attempt to teach." He began by taking roll. When that was done, he started his "First year speech."

"Potion making is an exact art, a subtle science. Many of you will not believe this as magic, for there is no foolish wand waving, or silly incantations in this class. Yet, for the few of you that understand the beauty of a softly simmering cauldron, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the scenes. I can show you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even, put a stopper, in death. Though I doubt that many of you will have the brain capacity to accomplish that much."

He paused, putting the class into an unnerving silence. His eyes wandered over the students, looking for one to single out, to ask one of his questions to. Thorn? No, she knew the answers. Ah, yes... "Mr. Wood," he said suddenly, "What would I get if I added powdered root of Asphodel to and infusion of Wormwood?"

Thorn turned to Maken, who, still being only half conscience, looked dumbfounded. "Uh... I... I don't know, sir..."

Severus sneered. He had chosen Maken for two reasons, he was Thorn's friend, and he wouldn't have known the answer. "Ah, I see. How about... Mr. James," he inquired to a Slytherin boy, "Where would you look if I asked you to find me a beezor?"

Thomas James stared at Severus in bewilderment, then he shrugged and looked down. "Pity," Severus said coldly, then he looked to a Gryffindor girl with dark red hair, "Miss Rees," she looked up to him, fear in her eyes, "What is the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

She stared at him, her eyes wide in nervousness, and shook her head. "I see, does anyone, besides Thorn, know the answers to these questions?" He looked around, half of the class either looking down, or at Thorn. "No one? Well, Thorn, enlighten us."

Thorn's lips curled into a small, joyless smile and she said, "Asphodel and Wormwood make the sleeping potion called the Draught of the living dead. A beezor is a stone found in the stomach of a goat that will cure you from most poisons. Monkshood and Wolfsbane are the same plant, also with the name of Aconite." She turned to Maken, who was watching her like she was crazy.

"Is reading the only thing you ever do in your spare time?" he mouthed to her, and she nodded. Making him even more bewildered.

"Thank you," Severus said, "Class, if Miss Rose knows the answers, the rest of you can very well read the books to find them out."

The entire class, save for Maken, Cade, and Celestial, glared at Thorn like she was evil. She ignored them, however, and concentrated on what Severus was saying. He showed them the standard way to make simple potions and they began to work on one. Thorn had it finished first, and perfectly, but that didn't surprise anyone.

At the end of the class, when they began to walk to their next, Thorn, Maken, Cade, and Celestial walked together. The Gryffindor first years had Transfiguration, and Slytherins had History of Magic. "Man, Professor Snape pulls a tough first day!" Cade said.

Thorn shrugged, "So does everyone else, he's just the first that we've seen so far."

Cade gaped at her. "You mean the others might be worse?"

"Well, you never know. You'll get used to it in time. Maken? Maken!" Thorn shook his shoulder, for his head had lolled to the side while they walked.

"I'm okay!" he said in a half awake voice, "I'm awake!"

Celestial laughed. "Too bad _we_ don't have history of Magic next, you could sleep in that class."

Maken looked to her. "What?! Who has it now?"

"Thorn," Cade stated.

Maken turned to Thorn and grabbed her shoulders. "Switch me! I wanna sleep!" He sounded so pitiful. Sparkie sighed and muttered in Thorn's pocket.

"Maken, I can't." She turned from his grasp, for her classroom had come up, and said, "Well, I'll see you at lunch."

This was an all Slytherin class, so she had no friends to share it with. She sat down in the middle of the room, avoiding her fellow students, who were mostly sitting in the back or front, yet when Antonette and Dreara came in, they noticed her. "Hello, Thorn." Antonette said as she sat next to her, Dreara on her other side. Thorn didn't acknowledge them.

"Very impressive," Antonette continued, "In potions. You'd think that you were related to the Professor."

Thorn looked up to her as Sparkie thought, _Tell her now!_

_No. _"You can believe whatever you want."

Pike Wilkes laughed behind her. "You're just a suck up to him!"

Thorn turned to look at him. "I don't need to be a suck up to pass my classes, unlike some of you."

Dreara laughed, "Just because you read so much."

Thorn smiled icily at her, "At least I know how to read, and I use the skill. It's something that I wouldn't expect from you."

Manuel Graham came up to her and stood right in front of her desk, cracking his knuckles in what he hoped was a menacing way. "How did you get in Slytherin anyway? I've seen you. You hang around with those filthy Gryffindors, isn't Roran, ah, a mudblood?"

Thorn watched him sternly, her emotions still within her, "I'm amazed that you noticed that my friends are Gryffindor. As for Cade, I don't know if he's a muggle born or not, but it doesn't matter. I choose friends for who they are, not their, pedigree."

Manuel brought his face extremely close to hers, his eyes narrow, trying to intimidate her. She didn't blink, or move away. She glared right back at him. After a while he said, "What's with you?" and he backed off.

The whole class was looking at them, Thorn hadn't blinked or anything. Manuel had a look of bewilderment, shock, and something remotely like a hint of fear in his grey eyes. "Have you never seen a child with no emotion before?" she asked calmly, "Apparently not, but I don't fear anything, which includes, using magic on a fellow witch or wizard. I won't feel regret for it either, so watch yourself around me."

"That's just not right," he said, still staring at her, as he walked to the back of the class. Dreara and Antonette went and sat with Phillis in the front.

_Thorn, _Sparkie thought with a grin, _You do know that you're my hero._

Thorn smiled, _See? I can get them to leave me alone without telling my life's story._

After History of Magic, the half conscience Slytherin class walked out into the hall. The only one of them still entirely awake was Thorn.


	7. Without a Clue

**Discaimer: Mine- Thorn and Sparkie, Make-Wood's- Maken and Cade, Setalina Muro's- Celestial, My sister's- Taffy, JK Rowling's- everyone else**

**Seventh chapter! Yay! Okay, I have to put Taffy up there (despite the fact that she' not very important) cause in future chapters she will be. Yeah, well, have fun!**

Chapter seven

Without a Clue

She walked into the great hall, as the rest of the classes were, and sat her table. She and Sparkie began to eat and Maken, Cade, and Celestial came in.

"How was Transfiguration?" She asked them as she sat next to Maken on the Gryffindor table, Cade and Celestial sat across from them.

Maken moaned and began to pile food onto his plate.

"That good, huh?" Sparkie said as he began to drink from Thorn's goblet of pumpkin juice.

Thorn nodded, "I bet you had a tough first day in Minerva's class as well."

Maken nodded and said, "How does she expect me to change a match into a needle first day!?"

"Well," Cade said in an optimistic tone of voice, "You did better then everyone else in the class did, take pride in that."

"Ahem!" Celestial said in an annoyed voice. "Excuse me? I think that I was the one that actually succeeded in changing my match to a needle entirely."

Cade looked to her, then back to Maken and Thorn, his eyebrows raised in annoyance. Maken laughed.

After lunch Maken, Cade, and Celestial went off to History of Magic, much to Maken's relief, and Thorn had Charms. The Slytherins had Charms with the Hufflepuffs.

"That means," Sparkie said in his tongue, "That you have this class with that Trelawney girl."

Thorn nodded, "I know."

When they entered, Professor Flitwick, the little man that he was, took role call and made a seating chart. Thorn had to sit next to Louis Belden, and, to her slight annoyance, Taffy Trelawney.

When Flitwick was done taking roll, he began to teach them the standard ways of moving ones wand while using a spell.

"Hi!" Taffy said as she flicked her wand in the correct manner. "What's your name?"

_Does no one listen during the sorting? _Sparkie asked angrily.

_Apparently not, _Thorn replied, then she said, "Thorn Rose."

"Ooh! That's a groovy name!" Taffy shrieked. "Mine's Taffy Trelawney. Personally, I've always liked my name, and-" She continued to talk, Thorn just watching her while she talked to Sparkie mind wise.

_Groovy? _he stated in a disgusted tone.

_Does she ever stop talking? _Thorn asked calmly.

**_Groovy!? _**Sparkie repeated.

_Yes! I heard that! You know- _She broke off suddenly as she heard Taffy say Severus's name. "Wait, what about Professor Snape?"

Taffy blinked, Thorn figured that she was surprised that Thorn wanted to hear more about what she had said about the Potions Master then whatever she had been talking about before. "Well, my brother says that he's really scary, I haven't had him yet, thankfully, but I do next, so I guess I should be worried."

"Oh!" Antonette said from behind them, "Professor Snape is Thorn's favorite professor. She's his best student and they act like they've been friends for a _long _time. They're even on a _first name _bases!"

Taffy stared at Thorn in bewilderment. "You mean that you and the _teacher _are _friends?_"

Thorn looked back to Antonette, who seemed to want to see if that had sparked any emotion in Thorn, yet it hadn't. "Yes, he is my friend."

"Actually," Sparkie said as he climbed onto her shoulder, "He's your uncle, but I guess you could call him a friend, too." Thorn rolled her eyes slightly.

Taffy looked to Sparkie and she gasped, "Ooh! He's so-"

But Antonette cut her off, "If you ask me, Snape seems like a bloody git. A shame really that he's -What's wrong with you!?"

Thorn had pointed her wand right at Antonette's face. Her eyes held the smallest glint of anger that could barely be seen. Only Taffy, who was an expert on emotions, had seen it appear. "Don't you ever," Thorn said in a dangerously low voice, barely more than a whisper "Mock Severus Snape around me, I do not fear to harm you, so don't tempt me."

Antonette froze and stared at Thorn, true fear in her blue eyes. Then she sat back and acted like nothing had happened, yet she still glanced up to Thorn every other minute.

Thorn put her wand back into her pocket, and turned to Taffy, who was staring at her like she was a ghost. Then she turned to her papers and began to write, her hand moving impossibly fast.

Sparkie chuckled. "That's a way to shut her up."

Thorn shrugged, "I guess so."

After that Thorn headed off to Defense Against the Dark Arts, another class that her class had with the Gryffindors.

She walked into the classroom, Professor Quirrel sitting at his desk. Thorn saw Maken, Cade, and Celestial sitting next to each other in three of the desks and she made her way over to them.

"Hey," she said as she sat next to Maken, "Have a nice nap in Binns's class?"

He smiled and said, "Ah, my full thirteen hours of sleep fulfilled." He stretched back and Professor Quirrel stood up.

"Welcome, class, to Defense Against the Dark Arts. This class is to help you if you ever need to defend yourself from those that use dark magic."

For the rest of the hour they learned the proper times to use defense spells, what spells to use, and what will happen. Thorn and Maken did the best in the class, much to the Slytherins' displeasure.

As the four of them got more accustomed to the school, the classes got easier, and each of them had made something of themselves, even if it was small. Maken was a bit shy around the other students, aside from Cade and Celestial, in his house, yet he warmed up to people easier them most and soon had many friends. Cade did as well, and he and Maken soon became rather popular in their house. Celestial also had a popular disposition, though not quite as popular as the other two.

Thorn, however, was much different then her friends. The fact that she was a Slytherin made her unpopular with the other houses, and the fact that she was friends with Gryffindors made her own house despise her. She was avoided by everyone, for her personality, which has no emotion, and for her power. She had already proclaimed herself as one of the strongest students. She was quick on using her magic whenever necessary. Yet she reminded herself, her strength was one persons doing.

"Severus?" she asked one Saturday afternoon, as she sat at her uncle's desk, watching him write. Maken and Cade were watching the Gryffindor Quidditch team practice, and Celestial was no where to be found, "When will my prophecy come into action?"

Her uncle shook his head. "I have no idea, and I was hoping that it won't, though I doubt that it shan't." He sighed and set his quill down. "There is no way to stop a prophecy."

Thorn nodded. "I just want to be prepared. I know that it can't be avoided, but I really do wish that I knew when to expect it." Sparkie climbed onto her shoulder and watched them.

"When it's time, you'll know," he leaned over his papers again, quill scratching away as he spoke, "You've already fulfilled the, requirements. Born one year before Harry Potter, having a mental connection to him. You've killed your parents, and you're afraid to do the same to those that you love. The Dark Lord chose you as his heir and, when he put the Dark Mark into you, he made you stronger. You've proven that you are stronger then other witches and you can kill almost everyone that comes across your path, not that they know it. As for the skill that you honed, that would be the parstle tongue, changing it to speak with other reptiles. The only one you haven't proven is the last. 'It shall be impossible to kill her by magic, though many times it will have been tried.' Yet, in time, that will occur as well."

Thorn sighed and shook her head, _Don't fret, Thorn, _Sparkie cooed softly in her head, _When it happens, I'll be there with you._

_I do not fear what will happen to me, _she replied, _I fear what will happen to those I care about. What if Severus or Maken gets hurt?_

Sparkie looked to her with pitiful eyes, _Sparkie, you can't die unless I do, I do not worry for your safety._

Sparkie still seemed a bit hurt that Thorn had put Maken ahead of him, but he let it go and climbed back into her pocket. "So," she continued, and Severus looked up to her from the papers that he was working on, "Someone is going to try to kill me? Well, let them try," she held herself higher in pride, "I will not die at the hands of Voldemort's supporters, or at Voldemort's himself."

Severus watched her, not one bit surprised that she had said The Dark Lord's name. She did not fear him, she had the right to call him by his name. She had never, for as long as he remembered, called him anything but such. She did not fear him, she hated him with all her might, and she was the only one that he would allow to call him Voldemort in front of him, aside from Albus Dumbledore. "Then how will you die, Thorn, if it is in a battle? If you die fighting The Dark Lord, how will it be."

She thought about it, and said, "It shall be to protect those that can kill him. I'll die to save Albus, or even Potter, for they are the only ones that stand a chance against him, and, even if it kills me, I would love to see him fall."

"Potter?" Severus said with a hint of disgust, "Harry Potter is not stronger then you, and never will be. You will be the strongest witch in your time."

"But Severus, don't you remember?" She looked up to him, and, when he didn't reply, she continued, "What He said when he put the Mark into me?"

Severus thought about it, then, as a look of understanding came into his eyes, he said, "'But as a precaution...'"

"'This mark will also prevent her from killing me.'" Thorn finished for him, "He knew how strong he had made me, perhaps stronger then he is, so he made sure that, if I was to turn on him, I wouldn't be able to use my power against him."

Severus nodded. "I see..."

Thorn smiled heartlessly, "It's a harsh turn of fate, that I won't be able to seek revenge on he who made my life Hell. But I will help those who can help me turn the tables on him."

Severus placed a hand on her shoulder. "He will fall, Thorn, and you will get your revenge. He will not be able to stop the inevitable."

Thorn nodded. "Nor can I escape whatever fate brings me, weather it be death, life, or to be alone for my years." She sighed, "And yet, no matter how much I would love for him to die, I would love it more if he suffered in life, like I've had to, like many others have had to at his costs. Yet that is no choice I have." She took out a silver pocket watch and looked to it. "Well, I must get going, Quidditch practice is over." She stood and left with a wave.

Severus sighed. _She says that she blames The Dark Lord, _he thought, _Yet she truly blames herself. But, as Dumbledore said, her guilt very well could be her savior._


	8. MixedBreed and Animagus

**Disclaimer: Must I continue to put this up!? I think everyone's got the idea of who belongs to who! Thorn, Sparkie, Maken, Cade, Celestial, and Taffy are the only ones that belong to me or a friend of mine. JK owns the rest.**

**Author's Note: Okay, the eighth chapter! Yay! Thank you all for the reviews! I love reading them! (I am amazed that ppl acctually like my story!!!) Anyway, here's Chapter eight!**

Chapter eight

Mixed-breed and Animagus

"Thorn!" Cade said as she saw him in the hall, "Come on! Shooter's going crazy!"

Thorn looked at him oddly, "Shooter? What's wrong? Where's Maken?"

"I dunno! He came out of the forest not long ago, and he seemed, I don't know, ecstatic, or afraid, or something, Maken's out there now, trying to calm him down."

Thorn nodded and they two of them sprinted down the hall, running into Celestial standing in front of a statue of a Griffin. Cade quickly explained and she joined them in running to the forest.

They ran past Peeves, the school poltergeist, who was throwing chalk at students. Thorn took her wand out and immobilized him before he could pelt them with chalk. He stared at her angrily, swearing between his clenched teeth.

When they reached the grounds, Thorn saw Maken standing with Shooter, doing his best to calm the unicorn down. Shooter was rearing up and neighing like nothing Thorn had seen before. "Shooter!" She called to him and he instantly stopped and looked to her. "What's wrong?"

"I have no clue!" Maken said and ran a hand through his hair, "He just came out and, well, you saw!"

Thorn watched him, then said, "He wants us to follow him."

"Follow him?" Celestial asked, out of breath, "Follow him where?"

"To the forest," Cade stated as Shooter began to sprint off towards the trees.

"Well, c'mon then!" Maken said as he ran after the unicorn. Thorn, Cade, and Celestial followed suit. When they got to the trees, they saw nothing.

"Why in the world did he drag us out here?" Cade asked as he looked around the darkness.

Thorn shook her head, "I don't know." Then a form came at them from ahead. "Talon?"

Sparkie, who had climbed onto her shoulder, said, "Thorn! Look! In the darkness! Is that, Feather?"

She followed the lizards gaze and saw the same, Feather standing, Shooter next to her, and, between them... "What in the..." she muttered.

"What is it, Thorn?" Maken asked as he stood next to her. She saw him take his wand out in the corner of her eye.

"There's something there, that, well, it's just," she shook her head, "I'm not entirely sure."

Maken then saw what she did, and his eyes widened. "Woah! What the heck?"

Sparkie shook his head and rubbed his eyes with little claws. Then, he looked back, as if expecting it to have changed, yet it didn't. Standing in the middle of the unicorn and pegasus was a little black horse, with wings, and a unicorn horn.

"Oh my god," Thorn murmured, "They crossbred..."

If any of the four had ever wondered what a mix between a unicorn and pegasus was, they didn't anymore. The baby was a rich, black color, and had a golden horn. Its wings were large and it's eyes a radiant blue.

Celestial gasped, "Oh... It's beautiful!"

Cade nodded, "Yeah, I can't believe that they, well, ya know." He snickered.

Maken laughed, "Well, apparently they did!" Even Sparkie began to crack up.

"Oh will you two just shut up!?" Celestial screamed.

Thorn ignored them as they began to bicker, but soon they stopped and followed her as she walked to the three animals ahead of her. "Hey Shooter, Feather, this must be your... baby."

Feather neighed lowly and nuzzled the child forwards. It wined in distraught, but soon walked forwards, locking eyes with Thorn, and calmed down. Then she heard a word wander across her mind. _Thorn..._

This shocked her slightly and she looked to Sparkie, who shrugged, for he had heard it too. Then they heard, _Shadow, mommy calls me Shadow. _The sentence was much less clear then when Sparkie and Thorn spoke, hazy, and distant. Then Sparkie and Thorn realized who it was.

"Oh, I see," Thorn said, then she rubbed the baby, well, pegacorn's head, "Shadow." Shadow nodded her black head.

Maken looked confused, as did the others. "What?"

Thorn stood and turned to the others. "She's much more powerful then any magical creature that I've ever read about. She can talk to people in her mind, it's distant, but she can."

"Ah, okay..." Maken said. Then, Shadow turned her head to him and his eyes widened. "Woah, how did she know my name?"

Thorn shrugged, "Feather must've told her."

Maken nodded, "Right..."

"Well," Cade said, still a bit bewildered, "Let's get back, it's almost dark, and McGonagall will have our heads if we're late."

The little pegacorn grew quickly; soon she was the same size as the others. She was extremely strong in her magic ability and in her physical strength as well.

Thorn was sitting in her dorm, reading one afternoon. Celestial was off somewhere unknown again, and the boys, well, she had no clue where they had gone. Her new book was called, _Animagi for beginners_, and she was really into it. It explained how to change into one, and the disastrous effects that could occur if it went wrong.

Then Sparkie sighed annoyed and turned to Thorn. She looked to him and saw the familiar glint in his eye. "Ah, hello Maken."

"Hey! Thorn!" Maken's voice came from Sparkie's mouth, the lizard looked rather annoyed, "Cade and I were wondering what you were doing, we're bored as everything, so, yeah, got any plans?"

Thorn began to shake her head, then an idea struck her. "Wait, what do you say to, hmm..."

"What?" Sparkie/Maken asked.

Thorn thought, then said, "Meet me near the forbidden forest tomorrow morning, before the sun's up, you, Cade, and tell Celestial as well."

"Why?" he protested.

"You'll see."

The next day, a Saturday, Thorn stood waiting in front of the forest cover. The sky was still dark, and it was colder. Winter was almost upon them.

Then she saw something moving towards her and, in an automatic response, she took her wand out with amazing speed and held it in front of her and, with no hesitation, muttered, "_Lumos!_" and a thin beam of light came from the tip of her wand and shone in the darkness.

It fell onto the face of her best friend, who looked rather annoyed and extremely tired. "Thorn," he mumbled, "Why in the world did you make us get up this early?"

Thorn smiled and flicked her wand up, "_Nox,_" the light at the tip of her wand went out. "Well, you said you were bored, and, well, I've come up for a way to keep us occupied."

The three Gryffindors were close enough for her to see in the darkness, and each had a look of confusion on their face. "Well, what is it?" Celestial asked.

Thorn led them into the forest, not saying a word. Maken's hand was firmly gripping her shoulder so he wouldn't get separated, and, Thorn figured, the others must be holding onto each other as well. It was too risky to light her wand again; the creatures in the forest might see it.

She led them deeper into the forest for a long time, then, just as she was sure that her friends had had enough, she stopped in a rather large clearing. The sun was still far from rising, so, with a wave of her wand, she made a few lanterns appear. "_Lacarnem Inflamare!_" She said and set a fire in each of the lanterns. Setting them up in certain places, it lit the clearing rather well.

"Thorn," Celestial moaned, "Are you ever going to tell us what we're here for?"

Thorn turned to the others and held her book, _Animagi for beginners,_ up for them to see, and Maken grumbled, "_Reading?_ You brought us here to _read?_"

"No," Thorn said, rolling her eyes a bit, "Read the cover." She said as she threw the book to him. He caught it and did as she said.

"So? What's that have to do with anything?"

Thorn sighed. Maken was _not _a morning person. _I can't believe that you're friend is this stupid! _Sparkie said in her mind.

Thorn shook her head then said, "Maken, _Animagi, _people that can change into animals. I brought you here because I figured that you three would want to join me in becoming one."

Cade's eyes lit up, "Oh! Yeah! I'll join you!"

Maken nodded in sudden realization, "Ah, yeah! That'd be fun! Let's do it!"

Celestial bit her lip, "But, Thorn? Isn't it illegal to become an Animagus if the ministry doesn't know of your doings?"

Thorn nodded, "Yes, it is, but I've never been one to follow the ministry's orders. In fact, I've never been too fond of the ministry at all."

Thorn felt a small surge of anger flow through her. She hated the ministry, well, not the ministry entirely, but Cornelius Fudge. When she had killed her parents, he had wanted to lock her up in Azkaban. He had wanted to lock a three year old girl in the wizard prison! If not for Severus and Albus Dumbledore, she would probably have been there right now.

"Thorn?" Maken's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Thorn? What's wrong?"

She looked up to him, the other two seemed confused. Maken, Severus, and Sparkie were the only ones that could see if something angered her. No one else could tell.

"Nothing," she lied, though she knew perfectly well that he knew it was a lie. He could tell oh too well when she was thinking. "Anyway, Celestial, you in for becoming an animagus?"

Celestial still seemed hesitant, yet she nodded, and a smile spread over her lips. "Count me in!"

Thorn smirked and said, "Well, let's begin! Think of what animal you want to become, but don't tell the others! Let's keep it a surprise until we succeed. Remember, it has to be something that fits you."

Maken looked to the ground, thoughtful. Cade was staring at the black sky. Celestial was looking into the darkness of the trees.

Thorn was looking at the moon, her eyes seemed lost. She was thinking of what to become. A dragon? That might be too difficult. How about, some kind of cat. Not a house cat, but a... _Tiger,_ she said to Sparkie.

He glanced up to her, _A tiger? Why a tiger?_

Thorn shrugged, _They live alone, they're strong, and determined. Just seems like me._

Sparkie pondered that, then said, _You don't live alone! You have me! And Severus! And, sadly, Maken! How can you say you live alone?_

_Sparkie, _Thorn sighed, _Maken doesn't know of my past, and I killed Severus's sister! I'm amazed that he took me in after that, and you, well, you're more or less part of me._

Sparkie shook his head, _Thorn, you should tell Maken about your past, and just because you killed your mother doesn't mean that it puts him far from you. In fact, I think it brings you closer._

_No, _Thorn said stubbornly, _I won't tell him. He's the best friend I have, to tell him would be to loose that friendship forever. Wouldn't that be nice? "Hello Maken, I thought I'd let you know that I killed my parents with an unforgivable curse, but don't hate me for it, I was only three." _Sparkie sighed and was about to interrupt, but Thorn continued, _And how does my killing of my family bring me closer to Severus?_

Sparkie rolled his eyes and said, _You didn't mean to, he understands that, and you're the last link to his sister, he'll protect you forever and won't let you get away._

Thorn was about to say something when Maken suddenly said, "Thorn! Snap outta it!" and shook her shoulders. She had been so engrossed in her talk with Sparkie that she had forgotten where she was. "What's with you today? You seem out of it."

She shook her head, "No, I'm okay." She noticed that Celestial and Cade were giving her odd looks, "So, you figured out what animals you want to become?"

The three of them nodded, Celestial and Cade still seemed a bit confused, and Maken was still watching her intently. _See? _Sparkie said, _He cares about you. You're like his sister, he could never hate you for what you did. _It seemed to Thorn that it had been hard for Sparkie to admit that.

She ignored him, and said, "Now, for step two. We have to try to feel like the animals. If it's a bird, feel like you're light enough to fly. Feel like you're a lion running through the tundra. Get it?"

Cade and Maken nodded, but Celestial said, "Wait, aren't we supposed to think of markings that we want to have?"

Thorn shook her head, "No, we don't choose what we look like, just what we become. Ready?"

They worked all day on their Animagi skills, yet it takes more then a day to succeed in becoming one. At the end of the day, the four of them sat around in the clearing. The sky was a rich red as the sun set.

"So, Cade," Celestial asked, "What made you so eager in becoming an animagus?"

He shifted slightly in the grass, then said, "Well, my mother was an Animagus."

Celestial looked down, "Oh, I'm sorry for bringing it up..."

"No, it's okay," Cade looked down to his wrist, then said, "She died in her animal form as well. This bracelet was made from one of her teeth."

Maken nodded, "How... if I may ask, did she die?"

Cade sighed, "Muggle hunters." Thorn noticed that his fists had tightened, "They shot her down."

"What animal could she become?" Celestial asked.

"A tiger."

Thorn, who had been looking at her wand, looked up. "Really?" Cade nodded. "Hmm."

_You still want to be a tiger, Thorn? _Sparkie asked.

_Yes._

"Well," Celestial said, as if trying to cheer Cade up, "If it helps at all, my mother is in St. Mungo's, and I have no idea who my father is. I was raised by my great uncle, Albus Dumbledore."

"You're related to Albus?" Thorn asked.

"Yep! It's nice having a relative that's the greatest wizard of all time."

"Kind of like being connected to the greatest feared," Sparkie yipped.

"Shut up, Sparkie," Thorn hissed back lowly.

Then Cade said, "St. Mungo's... that's... the hospital, right?"

Celestial nodded, "Yes, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. She's in there because, well," she sighed, "She insists that Sirius Black is innocent." An angry glimmer appeared in her eyes, "He's the reason she's there. He hurt her the night he attacked those muggles and Peter Pettigrew."

Thorn's eyes held fast. "Sirius Black?" She said in a harsh voice, the others looked to her startled, "That man, he deserves what he got."

Celestial nodded, "Yes, for what he did to all those people, did he hurt someone you know?"

Thorn watched her, then said, "Somewhat." He had hurt Severus's pride, and that is something that you never want to do to a Slytherin. "And, it's said that he supports Voldemort."

Celestial looked taken aback. Maken was way too used to Thorn saying his name, though he never said it himself, she always had. Cade had never heard that saying his name was bad, so he didn't flinch. "Thorn!" Celestial scolded, "Don't say his name! Only powerful witches and wizards should! Like Albus."

Thorn stared at Celestial, the hate for Voldemort flowing new through her veins. "I will not call him anything but his name, Voldemort," Celestial flinched again, "I do not fear him."

"Why don't you fear him, Thorn? He killed so many, and, if he came back, he would probably kill us all. How can you not fear him?"

"Celestial, he is the reason for so much in my life," Thorn said, "People would think that I would fear him, but the only thing I have for him is hate."

There was silence for a moment, then Maken said, "So, is, um, is he the reason that you... that your parents are, well, dead?"

Thorn looked to him, Sparkie muttered, "Tell him!"

She shook her head, then to Maken she said, "In the long run, yes." No one seemed to notice that in her left hand she gripped her wood wand with white knuckles.

"How did they die?" Maken pressed. His best friend had never told him what had happened, and now he was hoping for an explanation.

Yet Thorn wouldn't give in, "It's nothing."

"Well, explain why you use occlumency then," Maken pleaded.

"Maken, I use occlumency to protect myself, I told you that."

Maken shook his head, "Protect yourself from what? What in the world can hurt you through their mind?"

Thorn sighed, "Maken..." she whispered, _If only you knew..._

_Well he would, _Sparkie reminded her, _If you'd tell him!_

Cade sighed, "Okay, I'm new to the magic world, so, if anyone would explain, who's Voldemort?"

Celestial sighed, "_Please _don't use his name, Cade."

"Why not?" Thorn said, thankful for the change of subject, "He's not afraid of Voldemort, and why should he be?" Then, ignoring Celestials complaints, she said, "Voldemort was the worlds most powerful dark wizard, he gathered people called Death Eaters to follow him," she unconsciously rubbed her left for arm, "He fell nine or so years ago, when Harry Potter lived through his curse."

Cade nodded, "Ah, so, I guess that he is the most feared wizard in the world, then."

Thorn nodded, "Almost everyone fears him, save for maybe Albus Dumbledore and myself. Harry Potter might not, yet at the moment, he doesn't even know of him."

Celestial sighed in annoyance and said, "Well, we'd better get back, Uncle Albus will be expecting me for tea soon."

"Oh!" Maken said, still sounding slightly annoyed that he hadn't gotten a strait answer from Thorn, "So that's where you've been off too!"

Celestial smiled and led the way from the forest, Cade behind her, and Maken and Thorn taking up the rear. "Thorn," he asked her quietly, "What's wrong? Tell me what happened to your family, maybe you'll feel better."

Thorn shook her head firmly, "No, Maken."

"Why not?" he asked her, a bit more angrily then he had intended, "What are you afraid of."

She stopped dead, "Maken, the single thing I fear has nothing to do with my parents, or Voldemort at that matter."

"Then why won't you tell me?" he stood in front of her, his hands on her shoulders, grey eyes betraying his worry that he had been trying to mask.

"Maken, I have my own secrets, maybe you'll know someday, but today is not the day." She stepped out of his hands, went back towards Cade and Celestial, who had stopped some ten feet away, and heard Maken sigh behind her and follow.


	9. Gifts Recieved and Given

**Disclaimer: (man this thing is long for my fiction...) Thorn/Sparkie-me, Maken/Cade- Maken-Wood, Celestial- Setalina Muro, Taffy- unimportant sister. EVERYONE else- JK Rowling**

**Author's Note: Wow, Chapter nine! Anyways, I hope you guys like it!**

Chapter nine

Gifts -received and given

Soon Christmas break was upon them, classes were over for the time being. The four of them were on the grounds, Celestial talking to Thorn about some thing or another, Thorn sitting, reading her book, and Maken and Cade were discussing Quidditch tactics. They were sitting around a small fire that Sparkie had coughed up.

"So," she heard Celestial say, "Have you all gotten everyone their gifts?"

Thorn looked up and nodded. She had gotten everyone's gift but Severus's. She had gotten Maken A set of Quidditch players and a book of tactics, Cade a small, golden pocket watch with a tiger engraved into it, and Celestial a book called, _Guide to Advanced Transfiguration. _She knew what she wanted to get Severus, yet she still had to go talk to Albus.

Maken smiled, "Yep! I got everyone's!"

Cade nodded as well, "So did I."

Celestial smiled, "Yeah, can't wait till Christmas!"

"Me either! It's always been my favorite holiday!" Maken exclaimed as he bit into a chocolate frog that he had had in his pocket.

"Same here," Cade said as he laid back in the snow.

Maken laughed and looked to Thorn, who was staring at the white sky, "Thorn? You've been a bit quieter then usual, is something on your mind."

She shook her head, "I just need to get one more thing... Celestial?" The red-head looked up, "Where, might I ask, is Albus's office?"

Celestial watched her strangely, "Uh, on the fourth floor, the Griffin statue, the password is 'Chocolate Frog,' but why ever would you want to go see him?"

Thorn had stood and brushed the snow off of her robes, holding her book under her arm. Sparkie climbed onto her shoulder as she picked up the rest of her things. "I need to see him about a gift." She began to walk back to the castle, waving behind her.

She quickly got to the statue and said the password. The stone griffin came alive and leapt aside, revealing a spiraling stone staircase. She walked up it, and came to a large door. She knocked and it opened on its own accord.

She walked into the room and looked around at the walls. They were covered with portraits of former heads and the shelves were filled with silver instruments, a phoenix sat at its perch in the corner. "Professor?" She asked as Sparkie looked around tentivly.

Then the headmaster appeared over the banister. "Ah, Miss Rose, it has been a long time. A good, what was it? Eight years?"

Thorn nodded. "Yes sir, it has, I was wondering if you could help me."

"Help you?" he asked as he sat at his desk, "With what, my dear?"

"Well, I was wondering if you had something that I could, well, have," she said as she sat across from him in a puffy chair that he had.

Dumbledore watched her down his crooked nose, his hands clasped together in front of him. "What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering, if you had any pictures of my mothers wedding, I know you were there, but I was hoping for one with her and Severus together, not with my father."

Albus looked thoughtful, then he said, "Why don't you want your father in the picture?"

"I want the picture for Severus's gift, and he was never too fond of my father. I've noticed that he doesn't have any pictures of my mother when she's an adult, all of the pictures he has are when they're young, and I figured that the very last pictures taken of her were at her wedding."

"Actually," Albus said, "There was one other, without Romulus, and, better yet, there was a third person in the picture."

Thorn watched the elderly wizard as he stood and walked over to a cabinet, where he took out a large, leather photo album. He flipped through the pages until he came to the one that he had been looking for. "Ah, yes, what do you think of this?"

He handed the book to Thorn and she looked at the picture and smiled. "Yes, this will do perfectly; may I have it, Albus?"

He nodded, his silver beard bobbed slightly. "Thank you."

Thorn woke on Christmas day before everyone else, like she always did. At the foot of her bed were four gifts, one from Maken, one form Celestial, one from Cade, and one from Severus. She wasn't going to see her friends until lunch, for Maken wouldn't be out of his pajamas until then, so she planned on spending her morning with Severus, after she opened her gifts, of course.

She stood and quickly got dressed. Today, she wore only her regular clothes, not her robes. The tank and pants that fit her perfectly, and, obviously, the cover.

She unburied Sparkie from her covers and placed him onto her shoulder, where he wilted. She gathered her small bundle of gifts into her arms and went down into the common room.

Setting them on a table she unwrapped Celestial's first. Her only female friend had got her a stationary set, serpents winding themselves up the parchment, and a quill that had a serpent engraved into it as well. She read the note attached to it.

_Thorn,_

_Merry Christmas! I saw this and just thought that it was meant for you, with the parstletounge thing going on! _

_Your friend,_

_Celestial._

Thorn slightly smiled. She remembered telling them that she was a parstlemouth. She had told them not a week previous, at one of their Animagi lessons, when they saw her speaking to Sparkie. Maken hadn't been surprised, he'd seen her talk to him for such a long time, and Cade hadn't known what it was in the first place. Celestial, however, had been shocked. It was nice to know that she had gotten over her unpleasant surprise.

Then she opened Cade's. He had gotten her a very nice set of potions vials. Then she turned to Maken's. She tore the wrapper off and let out a small chuckle. "Sparkie, look what Maken got,"

The lizard opened his eyes slightly, then they sprang wide when he saw it. "A lizard's leash! And _collar!?_ Why that little-"

"Oh, get over it, Sparkie, it was a joke, it says in his note." She held the bit of parchment up for Sparkie to read.

_Thorn,_

_Hey! I found this book and it just screamed you! I also found this lizard leash; you should try it with Sparkie sometime! Just kidding! I just want you to know that if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm always here, I'll listen._

_Maken_

The lizards eyes narrowed, but he dropped it. Maken had also gotten her a book called _Worlds Most Difficult Potions. _She would probably make every one of them just to prove that she could.

Thorn then moved onto the last of the gifts, a rather large one from Severus, in a black box. She opened it to reveal a silvery grey cloak that felt like liquid beneath her touch. Atop it was a note in Severus's neat handwriting that hers had been modeled after.

_Thorn,_

_This had been your fathers, as an auror, he came to own one. It was left to you when they died, and I figured that now would be a proper moment to receive it._

_Merry Christmas,_

_Severus Snape_

Thorn set the note aside and took the silver cloak from its box. "Oh, I know what this is," she muttered. Then she slipped it over her shoulders, the liquid like material cool on her skin. She looked down at her body, or rather, where her body had been.

"An invisibility cloak!" Sparkie exclaimed as he looked up to her from the head of the chair.

She nodded her head, the only part of her that could be seen. Then she took it off and put it back into its box quickly, for she heard footsteps behind her. Dreara came from the girls' dormitory, looking rather tired. She was the only Slytherin girl in Thorn's year that had stayed for the Christmas break. Her eyes narrowed as she saw thorn and her nose crinkled.

"What're you doing up, Rose?"

"Well, Horst," Thorn said calmly, "I'm always up early, not like you would notice." She took her gifts and walked back to her dormitory, ignoring Dreara. She put them all onto her trunk and locked it with a spell that none of her classmates would be able to open. In Slytherin, you kept everything locked.

Then she walked back into the common room, past Dreara, and out into the halls. They were abandoned, few people were up yet, but then again, who would be in the dungeon anyway?

She walked along the dungeon halls to Severus's office, where he probably was at that moment. She knocked and heard her uncle say, "Come in."

She opened the door and walked into the cold room that somehow felt comforting. Sitting in the desk was Severus, and in his hands was a silver serpent frame holding the picture that Thorn had given him.

His eyes never left the picture. In it was Severa, holding little Thorn up, who was a year old, and smiling, and next to his sister, was himself, also smiling. He remembered that day, Thorn and Severa had come to his house for her birthday, Romulus had stayed behind, for common courtesy. He remembered when Albus Dumbledore had come and taken the picture.

"Thorn," he said in barely more then a whisper, "Where did you get this?"

She stood at the front of his desk, Sparkie drifting of to sleep on her shoulder. "Professor Dumbledore, Severus. He gave it to me. Do you like it?"

Severus stood and walked around the desk to face her entirely, "Yes, I do." he smiled as best he could to her and said, "Thank you, Thorn."

She smiled slightly back and went into his arms in an embrace. "You're welcome. And thank you, for my father's cloak."

Severus nodded. "He would have wanted you to have it."

"I know." She broke away from him and said, "Severus, when will I get to tell the others of, well, what I've done."

Severus shook his head, "I don't know, I'd rather they didn't find out."

"Why?" She asked as she sat on his desk, looking up to him.

He sighed, "Thorn, right now they claim that they'll understand, yet I doubt that they will. After your friends find out, there's a good chance that they'll leave you, and if they don't, they'll treat you differently."

Thorn nodded, "Maken really wants to know what happened to Severa and Romulus. I know he means well, but I just can't bring myself to admit that I'm a... A murderer."

Severus sighed, "Thorn, you are no-"

"Severus, don't kid yourself," Thorn cut him off, "It doesn't matter anymore anyway. What can I do to change the past?"

Severus shook his head, "Nothing, you're right. Now, you might want to go check up on Shooter, Feather, Talon and, oh what was the new ones name?"

"Shadow, and yes, I should," she stood up and walked across the room, "Good-bye."

Severus sighed, "Good-bye, Thorn." He shook his head. He knew that if anyone knew what Thorn had done, if it were an accident or not, she would be treated differently. The ministry of magic already had made it clear that if anything was heard on her that she would be locked up. They couldn't afford to have a _murderer _running around. All he wanted for his niece was for her to lead a normal life for as long as she could.

Thorn walked out into the grounds. The snow was deep, coming up to her knees, but she didn't go back to get her cloak. "If I can stand pain," she said to herself, "I can get through the cold."

Sparkie was shivering on her shoulder, "Well, g-good for y-you," he said through his chittering teeth, "B-but I c-can't s-stand the c-cold."

She smiled coldly, and picked Sparkie up off of her shoulder and cradled him in her bare arms. "Happy?" she asked the reptile.

"Yes." Sparkie said as he curled up in her grip.

She walked through the snow and to the forest, she entered and called out. When no one came, she figured that they were too far in to hear her.

"Hmm," she looked around yet saw nothing that would betray their hiding. "Maybe," she closed her eyes and called out with her mind. _Shadow? Come here with your mother, father, and Talon._ She looked down to Sparkie who was holding his head, "Do you think she heard me?"

Sparkie looked up to her angrily, "I dunno, but I sure did!"

"Oh, sorry," then she heard a whisper at the edge of her consciousness.

_We're coming._

"It worked," she said, and Sparkie glared at her.

"Really?" he said sarcastically, still holding his head from Thorn's mental shout, "I hadn't noticed."

Not long later the four forms came running at them through the trees. Shadow led the group as they came to their owner and friend.

Shadow whinnied and nuzzled Thorn's shoulder. _Are you cold? _she asked quietly.

Thorn shook her head, _No. Are you guys okay? _Shadow nodded. Thorn walked by her and bowed to Talon. He bowed back and nudged her lightly with his beak. Thorn ran her hands over his smooth feathers and closed her eyes, resting her head on the hippogriffs soft neck.

Then she looked to Shooter, who was giving her the begging eye. She laughed coldly and wrapped her arms around his neck as well. Then the same to Feather. "Merry Christmas." she said.

Then she froze dead. "Oh great," she muttered, "Someone's coming." She turned to the others and said, "Run! Now! I don't know who it is, but you've got to get the heck away from here!"

They all sprinted off and Thorn turned to whoever, or whatever, was coming, her wand held in front of her at the ready, Sparkie, now alert, poised on her shoulder. Whatever was coming, it was large.

She stood, ready to face anything, the noise of a large body breaking through underbrush was near now, then she saw the unmistakable figure and sighed in relief.

"Rubius!" she called and the half giant stopped.

"Ah! Thorn! Dere yeh are! Professor Snape told me to look for yeh here! Good thing yeh are, too, I got a gift for yeh."

Thorn was somewhat surprised. Rubius was related to her distantly, yet he hadn't spoken to her in a long time. "Do you? I'm sorry, I didn't get you anything in return."

He waved his hand and said, "Ah, don' worry 'bout it! Now, Come 'ere!" He began to walk off through the forest again, Thorn shrugged to Sparkie and followed.

He led them into a clearing, much like the one that they had their Animagi lessons in. He looked around then nodded. "He's here."

Thorn looked up to him. "Excuse me?"

Hagrid turned to her, smiling under his broad beard. "Well, Thorn, I heard that you had a thing for animals, and, well, I have a Thestral here that doesn't get along well with the others, and I was wonderin' if you'd have 'im."

Thorn looked up to him. "Thestrals? They're only visible to those that have seen death."

Rubius nodded, "Yeah, so I knew that you'd be able ter."

Thorn nodded as well. "Yes, I've read a lot about them, they're rumored to be an omen of death, because of the fact that you only see them after you've seen someone die. Rubbish"

Rubius nodded. "Yeah, that pretty much explains it. Oh!" he exclaimed as he looked into the trees, "Here he comes!"

Thorn looked to were he was and saw a pair of white, pupil less eyes staring back at her from the darkness. Then it emerged from the forest cover and into the white light of the dawn. He looked like a horse, yet with a reptilian appearance as well. His form was sleek, yet he seemed no more then a skeleton, his black flesh clinging to every bone in his body, all of which could be seen. He had large wings protruding from his back; they were large and powerful and bat looking.

Thorn watched as the thestral came forward and noticed that he had many scratches on his right side. "He really isn't getting along with the others," she murmured.

Rubius sighed, "No, he's not. Poor fella. Anyway, so, what'd yeh say? Will yeh take 'im?"

Thorn looked up to Rubius, then back to the thestral. "Yes," she stated, "I will."

The gamekeeper smiled, "Ah, Thanks, I dunno what I woulda done. Poor guy's been abused by the others for quite sometime now." Then he turned to the thestral and said, "Fell, Come 'ere."

The thestral, Fell, came forwards, and Thorn held her hand out to him. He smelled it, then ran his head under it.

"Fell..." she whispered and he looked up to her with blank eyes.

She felt Sparkie stir on her shoulder, "Oh great," he mumbled, "Another one."

She laughed coldly, "Yes, another one."

"Wha's that?" Hagrid asked, for all he heard was her chittering in Sparkie's language.

She looked up to him, and shook her head. "Nothing. Thank you." Then she began to walk away from him, Fell at her side. When she was well out of earshot, and eye shot, of her somehow related friend, she whistled and Shadow, Shooter, Feather, and Talon came to her instantly.

"Guys," she said quietly, "This is Fell." The Thestral came forwards, his white eyes searching over each of them. "He's had a tough life, watch out for him, he'll be staying with us from now on."

They seemed nervous at first, and Thorn thought that they wouldn't accept the new addition to their mixed up family, yet then Talon bowed to Fell, and Fell, in turn, bowed back. It all clicked together after that and soon they were all getting along.

Thorn smirked, "Well, I should get back to the castle, I'd like to spend more time with Severus. After all, he's been alone every Christmas since, well, since Severa died."

Shadow nodded, _We understand. Merry Christmas._

Thorn ran her hand over the pegacorn's silky mane. _Thank you, good bye._ Then she made her way back up to the castle, Sparkie on her uncovered shoulder.

"Why did you agree to take in another animal?" He asked her with a hint of scorn in his voice.

"Sparkie," she reasoned, "What did you expect me to do? He's had a rough life so far, I couldn't just leave him to die."

Sparkie sighed, but agreed. When they entered the castle, the first person they saw was Minerva McGonagall. "Ah, Miss Rose, out on the field? And, Dear Child! Why weren't you wearing a cloak?"

"Well, Minerva," Thorn said calmly, she often called many of her teachers by their first name, "I didn't think I needed one."

"Why ever not? It's freezing out there!" She sighed, "You may be immune to pain, Thorn Rose, but you can still get sick."

Thorn nodded, "I know that, yet I don't remember ever being sick."

"Well," Minerva said sternly, "There's a first time for everything."

Thorn nodded and walked away from the transfiguration professor, and down to the dungeons. She entered Severus's office once again, to find him grading papers from his sixth year class.

"Thorn," he said as he looked up to her, "Back already? I thought that you would spend the day with Mr. Wood, Mr. Roran, and Miss Moon."

"I was planning on spending the after noon with them, for at the moment they are in Gryffindor's common room."

"Don't you know the password? I thought Sparkie had gotten it for you." Sparkie held his head high in pride, and Severus marked a seven out of twenty-three on some Hufflepuffs paper.

Thorn nodded, "Yes, I do, yet I wanted to spend the morning with you. I mean, you've spent every Christmas alone since, well, I killed Severa, and I wanted to make it up to you."

He looked up to her, his dark eyes showing the caring that they only showed for her. He was like her father, and she loved him as such, and he loved her as a daughter. His lips curled into a small smile and he said, "Thank you, though you own me nothing."

Thorn nodded, "Of course." She decided not to press the matter. She still strongly believed that she owed him her life after taking her mothers, and she planned on paying that debt, yet for now, since it was Christmas, she would let it go.

They talked for a long time, about her classes, about what Severus had to go through teaching his, and, eventually, talk moved to her parents, again.

"What was Severa like?" Thorn asked him.

He sighed, "She was much like you, except, of course, she showed much more emotion. She was an excellent student, and she was powerful in body. Though, her mind wasn't as strong as yours is. She could never master Occlumency, like you and I."

Thorn nodded, "How else was she similar to me?"

"Well," Severus said as he set his quill down, having finished with grading the reports, "She was protective of her family and friends. If someone so much as looked at someone she cared about wrong they were facing her wand. In fact, she stood up for me on countless occasions."

Thorn looked up to his face, where his calm expression had changed into one of disdain. "What are you thinking about?"

He sighed. "Remember that memory I showed you? With Potter and Black?" He had showed his niece his worst memory, by use of Dumbledore's pensive. She had instantly understood his feelings of the two of them and joined him in hating them. He hadn't been able to watch it all, for it hurt even her to see her uncle suffer that humiliation.

Her usual emotionless expression was exchanged for a slightly angry look. "Yes, I remember," she said icily. "Black and Potter." She hated the two of them. Sirius Black, and James Potter. One would think that that hate would carry onto Harry Potter, though she couldn't hate him. She felt everything he did, though she blocked it out half the time, and it was nearly impossible to hate someone that you had a mental connection with, save for Voldemort.

Severus nodded. "Yes, well, they never succeeded in what they had been planning on doing. Your mother came out into the grounds, and, let's just say, she wasn't very happy."

"What did she do?" Thorn asked, now interested in the end of the memory.

Severus smiled slightly, "Severa was always talented at curses. She was furious, needless to say, and she didn't like the fact that... that, she didn't like what Black and Potter were up to. So she threatened them with their lives, and she made them fly into the lake." He shook his head, "She never let anyone bad talk me around her."

Thorn smirked. "Yes. Did she have many friends?"

Severus sighed, "She had one really good friend. In fact, they were friends from the moment they met. He was a pure blood wizard that worked hard, was strong, and never let her down. Romulus Rose."

Thorn looked up to him again. "My mother and father were best friends their whole school lives?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, they were."

Thorn nodded as well, yet kept silent. She knew that Severus had never liked her father, not because he was a Gryffindor, but because he'd loved his sister. Severus had hated it when Romulus had taken her away from him.

Thorn looked to her watch. "Well, Severus, it's noon. I'll be going to the great hall, are you coming?"

He shook his head, his hair swaying slightly, "No, I'm going to stay down here. Have a good day."

Thorn nodded. "You too."


	10. Fights, Thoughts, and Sketches

**Disclaimer: JK owns everything but Thorn, Sparkie, Maken, Cade, Celestial, and Taffy (you should all know who those belong to by now)**

**Author's Note: I had fun writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter ten

Fights, thoughts, and sketches

She left the dungeons and headed towards the Great Hall, where she was sure her friends had gathered.

When she entered there where few students there. Most had left for Christmas. At the Gryffindor table she saw Maken, Cade, and Celestial. She sighed and walked over to them.

"Maken," she said as she slightly shook her head, "What in the world are you still doing in your pajamas?" He was wearing loose fitting, blue, plad pants and a loose white tank top as well.

He grinned up to her. "Well, I figured that I wouldn't even bother to change. Merry Christmas, by the way." He looked her up and down and smiled wider. "And you yourself don't seem entirely dressed either."

She looked down at herself, then back up to her best friend, a small smirk across her lips. "Maken," she said silkily, "These are the clothes that I always wear under my robes." With her right hand she gestured down her body.

Maken laughed and scooted over so that she could join them. When she had, he asked, "Why do you wear this thing anyway?" He picked up her left hand and pointed to the cover.

She took her hand away and said, "No reason." Maken gave her a searching look, then someone else sat at the table.

Taffy Trelawney sat next to Celestial, across from Maken, and glared at Thorn. "Celestial," she whispered rather loudly, "Be careful! Thorn's not natural!"

Taffy, ever since that day in charms, was convinced that there was something not quite right about Thorn. She'd also convinced all of her friends in Hufflepuff, which was near enough to every female in the house, not to go anywhere near her, and was now trying to "save" Celestial as well. She didn't care about the guys. She was a feministic hippy.

"Trelawney," thorn said in a dangerously low tone, instantly making the blonde freeze.

Then, regaining her composure, she said, "Why do you only wear one wrist cover? It looks silly." She flipped her hair annoyingly and continued. "I could get you another."

Thorn sighed. _The second time in five minutes that someone has asked me about the cover. _Sparkie nodded and muttered under his breath. Then thorn said, "I don't need another."

"Is it, like, your fashion statement?" the Hufflepuff inquired.

"No." Thorn said with a small sigh. She heard Maken chuckle, no doubt amused by Taffy's foolishness.

"Then why can't I-"

"Because," Thorn said, her voice silky, smooth, and dangerous.

"But-" Taffy persisted.

"Trelawney!"

She shrank and slinked away at Thorn's harsh voice. Then Maken turned to the Slytherin and said, "Another secret, eh?"

Thorn nodded. "Yes."

Maken sighed. "Alright, but you really should tell us." Thorn could tell that he was disappointed. She knew that he hated her secrets.

Thorn shook her head, "You will know in time."

"When?" Celestial asked.

Thorn looked to the ceiling, which was blue as the sky and covered in white puffs of clouds, "Honesty, I'm not sure. When the time comes, I guess."

"Don't tell me," Cade said, "Professor Snape told you that?"

Thorn nodded, "And he's never lied to me."

"There's a first time for everything," Dennin Spitz said behind her in his high pitched, nasally voice. Manuel stood behind him, grinning.

Thorn and Maken turned to them. Thorn calm as ever, and Maken angry. "Don't make me give you two your first _real _fight," Thorn said coldly. "I don't want to bother Madame Pomphrey with your bodies on Christmas."

The two boys looked to each other, then back to her, their grins replaced by scowls. "So, Rose," Manuel finally said, "You think you can beat us?"

"What," Celestial broke in," She'd be outnumbered!"

"Shut it, Moon!" Dennin spat at her, "She's strong! We should be an easy match for her."

Celestial looked like she was about to tell them off when Manuel said, "So, Rose, what do ya say?"

Thorn watched them for a moment, Sparkie on her plate, holding a grape, watching the three of them. Then Thorn smiled dangerously. In a flash she was on her feet, her wand out, held in front of her. _"Expelliarmus!"_

The two Slytherin boys' eyes widened as they flew back ten feet, over their own house table, their wands flying in opposite directions.

Maken looked at the pair of them and almost instantly cracked up. "Go Thorn!"

Sparkie nodded vigorously and threw the grape at Dennin at full force. It splattered on his forehead, but he didn't seem to register what had happened for a minute.

Manuel stood, a furious look scarring his face. Dennin stood, wiping the grape off of his face and glaring at Sparkie's blue and red form.

Thorn watched them with an unfaltering expression, her wand still held at the ready, pointed directly at Manuel's face. "Do you still want to challenge me?"

Then Sparkie thought to Thorn, in a pretty amused voice, _Hey! Thorn! Look who it is! Dreara the dreary!_

And sure enough, Dreara came up and got right in Thorn's face. Manuel and Dennin snickered behind her. "So, Thorn," she spat, her eyes holding Thorn's stern gaze, "You going against your own house? How loyal are you, exactly?"

Thorn took another step forward, as she lowered her wand to her side. Her face only inches from Dreara's, her eyes betraying no emotion, she said, with her voice barely more then a whisper, "My loyalty lies not with one house, divided from the rest, but with Hogwarts as a whole. The question isn't how loyal am _I_, but how loyal are _you?_"

Dreara looked enraged. She took another step towards Thorn, nearly touching her, her hand clenched into a fist. Maken was on edge, wand out, prepared for what Dreara might do. Cade and Celestial watched on, prepared to whip their wands out if Dreara tried anything. No one seemed to notice that Sparkie had disappeared, literally, and that a goblet of pumpkin juice had began to float.

"Rose," Dreara said angrily, through clenched teeth, "You are going to die a slow, painful death. I'll make sure of it."

"I'm just shaking," Thorn said icily, in a sarcastic tone.

What happened next occurred to Thorn as if in slow motion, for her mind had processed it so quickly that she practically knew what was going to happen before it did.

Dreara raised her arm and brought it back, preparing to punch Thorn right in the face. Maken began to lunge forward, his wand held in front of him, and the flying goblet of pumpkin juice made its way to right above Dreara's head.

_Now, _Thorn thought as she leapt back, into Celestial and Cade, who now had their wands out, and grabbed onto the back of Maken's shirt, pulling him back with her, making them all fall into the Gryffindor table. Dreara's fist swung inches from her face, and, just as she was about to strike again, the pumpkin juice poured onto her head.

She yelled in shock and staggered backwards, running into her table and toppling over it. Dennin and Manuel looked to her, then to the flying Goblet, which was dancing, and they both darted from the hall, screaming.

Thorn watched after them, her wand still in her right hand, Maken's nightshirt in her left, Maken himself atop of her and she on top of Celestial and Cade. Maken stood and extended his hand to help her up. She took it and the two of them helped Cade and Celestial to their feet.

"Man, Thorn," Cade said as he brushed himself of and Dreara went running from the hall, "You aren't making many friends in your own house, are you?"

Thorn shook her head. "No, friendship in Slytherin is based on money and power."

"You have that," Maken pointed out, putting his wand away, still seeming angry that someone had threatened his best friend, even if she wouldn't have caused any harm anyway.

"Yes, I do, but it's also based off of your bloodline, which for me is still acceptable. The thing that sets me apart is the group of people I'm seen with. If a Slytherin is friends with anyone in any other house they're automatically set apart."

"Ah," Celestial said, "Well, that's just wonderful, but please, answer me this," there was a hint of panic in her voice, "What's with the flying pumpkin juice?"

They all looked up to the wooden goblet. Cade acquired the same bewildered look that Celestial wore, but Maken laughed and Thorn gave a small chuckle.

"That," she said, "Is Sparkie."

Celestial blinked, then gasped as Sparkie's blue body and red wings appeared, holding the goblet between four little claws, flapping his overlarge wings hard to keep airborne. He snickered, then screeched as he the weight of the goblet took him down.

Thorn caught him in one swift movement and relieved him of his burden. Placing him upon her shoulder she heard Celestial say. "Wait, that happened way to fast, and perfectly. Were you planning it? I mean, falling down, and Sparkie with the goblet and the pumpkin juice and whatnot?" She took Thorn's silence as a consent, "Woah! How in the world did you come up with it that fast?"

Thorn took a drink of pumpkin juice and said, "My mind works incredibly fast, without powerful emotions to obstruct it. Without fear, panic, or anger in times of danger, I can come up with a plan within the second that it takes my opponent to realize what's going on."

Cade nodded. "I see, that must give you an excellent advantage."

"It does," Thorn nodded, "Yet it hasn't been put into practice that often."

"Well," Maken stated as he sat down next to her, "That's because very few people are stupid enough to attack you."

Celestial smiled. "Yeah, and even those that are are never a real challenge anyway."

"And if someone actually is a challenge," Maken continued, "You won't face them alone."

Sparkie looked up to Thorn as he felt her thoughts wander over his consciousness. When she thought about anything she went into great detail, getting every exact angle of a situation, until she could play out the most likely outcome in her mind. The sad thing was that when Thorn thought of her future, as she was then, nothing seemed to come out for the better. It always seemed that everything went wrong. This time, she was facing Voldemort, with her friends by her side.

Sparkie shuddered and tried not to whimper aloud as he saw his friend's visualization. He head Celestial scream as a flash of green light engulfed her. He saw Maken, fighting tooth and nail, yelling and cursing, trying to get to Cade, who was withering in pain not far off. Voldemort stood, facing the massacre, laughing his cold laugh. Thorn's anger was obvious, but there was nothing she could do... It was said that Thorn, for some odd reason, could not die, yet her only friends and family didn't have that guarantee.

"Thorn? Thorn!" They were snapped out of her thoughts by Celestial shaking her. "Let me guess. Just thinking?"

Thorn nodded. She had not been affected by her thoughts. She mostly thought like that anyway. Best not to get her own hopes up. Though she could tell that Sparkie hated it when she thought like that, not like she could help it.

_Thorn,_ he thought to her, shaking his head, _You think too much._

She smiled, no emotion behind it, _Yes, I know._

None of the Gryffindors bothered to ask what she had been thinking about. They all knew the answer by that time. Nothing.

They spent the rest of the day talking about what they had received for Christmas, and what they had given others. Thorn listened to them while she sketched on a spare bit of parchment.

She didn't draw often, but the skill had come easily to her, a natural talent, and only if she believed in what she was sketching did it turn out right.

She drew her mother, pointing her wand directly at Voldemort's face. Standing behind Severa was her uncle. There was amazing detail behind it. Severa's face showed mixed fury and triumph, and Severus looked rigid and angry, but there was obvious pleasure in his features. And Voldemort looked just as Thorn had always wanted him to, in morbid pain and scared to death.

Just as she was adding the final touches, Thorn felt someone behind her. She turned to see Celestial standing there, looking over her picture. Maken and Cade had said something about going to the Quidditch pitch, and had left the two of them alone. "That's terrific," Celestial marveled, "That seems to be Professor Snape, but who are the others? Is that you?" She pointed to Severa.

"Yes, it is Severus, but that is not me, but my mother."

Celestial nodded, "Ah, you look almost exactly like her. And, who's the other one?"

"Voldemort," Thorn stated as she looked up to Celestial, who had stiffened as she said the name.

"Is, um, is that what you, you imagine him to look like then?" Celestial asked, her voice a forced calm, as she looked over Voldemort's details, from his slitted eyes to his thin, line mouth.

Thorn shook her head. "No. It is what he looks like, or rather looked like before Harry Potter had weakened him. But there is no doubt in my mind that he lives, and he will return."

Celestial sharply rapped her on the head with her wand, not like it hurt, and said, "Don't you say that! Sure, it's a possibility, but you never know. The future holds mystery for everyone, no one's is set for them. Unless," she added as an after thought, "They have a prophecy. Nothing can change the path of a prophecy."

Thorn looked up to her, searching her expression. Then, coming to the conclusion that it was a coincidence that Celestial had spoken of prophecy, she said, "True, when facing a prophecy there is nothing one can do. While you try to avoid it you're doing exactly what was meant to happen."

Celestial nodded. "It's pointless, really."

Thorn smiled coldly, "Yes, it is."

"So, Thorn," Sparkie squeaked as they trudged across the snowy grounds, "What are you doin' now?"

"Honestly, Sparkie," she sighed back, stopping and looking around, "I'm not sure. Just walking. No point to it at all."

"Ah, I see." The lizard was silent for a moment, perched upon Thorn's barely covered shoulder. Then he said, "You can talk to me if you need to, Thorn. I'll listen."

She nodded, "I know." She didn't speak for a minute, then she said, "It's interesting." Sparkie looked up to her, "To know that yet another thing sets me apart from the rest." She looked down to Sparkie, then back up to the blue sky. "My future is set. I have no choice. I cannot change it."

Sparkie looked into the sky, then back to Thorn, whose gaze had not shifted. "Kinda depressing, really."

She shook her head. "Not to me, it's just more proof on how different I am. Unlike Maken, Cade, and Celestial, I have a set path to follow. For all we know, I could be the final key to the war against Voldemort. I shall aid in the death of my true leaders rival."

"Who do you think your true leader is?" Sparkie asked.

Then Thorn's eyes shifted from the sky to look at him. She sighed and slipped the cover from her left forearm, revealing the red dark mark. The skull and serpent were vividly lined against the bright surrounding. "I think this solves it."

The lizard climbed down her arm and put one little claw on the mark. Thorn could feel him getting angry, the waves of his emotion going through her mind, and his arm had started to shake as he tried to control himself. Then he hissed in fury, "He's the one to blame for everything!"

Thorn looked down and Sparkie felt a glimmer of guilt swim by his mind and he sighed. Thorn would admit it to no one, not even Sparkie, who could practically read her mind, but she felt that it was her fault about her parents' deaths. Around others she could blame Voldemort, but sometimes she would lock herself in her mind, not even Sparkie could penetrate then, and think about it. She would use her last line of defense to dwell on her past.

Thorn had no idea how much guilt she really held. After all, she kept it locked within her heart. Despite how well she knew her mind, she could not understand the feelings that her heart held. Yet even though she was unaware of it, Sparkie could feel it as well, and recognize it. He knew that until she rid herself of it, her guilt and self-hate would eat at her. And with Thorn, ridding herself of it would prove quite difficult.

Thorn rubbed Sparkie's head with her thumb, then continued to make her path through the snowy grounds.


	11. The Black Cat

**Disclaimer: I own none of JK's characters and you all know who belongs to who by now... **

****

**Author's Note: Okay, I think this is the shortest chapter yet... oh well... have fun! R&R please!**

Chapter eleven

Black Cat

Christmas break ended quickly and the rest of the year seemed to fly by and soon the end of the year exams were upon them.

Maken groaned as he flung himself next to Cade at the Gryffindor table. Thorn came from her own table and sat next to him, Sparkie on her shoulder, eating an apple that he could barely hold onto.

"That was murder!" he complained as he took a drink of pumpkin juice. "I don't think I did too well on that one..."

"I'm sure you did fine," Celestial reassured him, "I don't think anyone, except for Thorn," she chuckled quietly, "Did excellent on the Potions final."

Cade nodded, "Yeah, but hey, that was the last of them. I think Charms was the easiest."

Maken shook his head, "No, it was definitely Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Celestial sighed, "No, the easiest one was Transfiguration, no doubt about it."

"I'd say which one I thought was the easiest," Thorn said mildly, "Yet, seeing as you all already know the answer, I'll not say."

"Well, personally," squeaked Sparkie, not like anyone but Thorn could understand him, "I'd think that flying lessons would be."

"There wasn't even a test on that," Thorn chittered back, "And you have wings, of course you would say that." Sparkie grinned.

"So, what are we going to do tomorrow?" Cade asked. "Since classes are over for the year?"

Maken took a bite of a ham sandwich and looked up in thought, then he said, "Why don't we continue with Animagi?"

The group of them had been practicing the skill all year and now they were on the final chapter of the book.

"I bet we could succeed in changing this time," Celestial commented, "Last time I felt _so _close!"

"Well then," Thorn said as she stood up, Sparkie climbing from her plate to her shoulder, "Tomorrow we'll try. I'm going to go to Severus's office. I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Celestial stood as well, "I should go see Uncle Albus."

The two girls walked out of the hall together and parted ways as Thorn headed to the dungeon and Celestial went up to the second floor.

When Thorn walked into the room, the potions master was sitting at his desk, his face in his hands. Thorn sighed. _He's been thinking again. _She thought to Sparkie, who sighed as well.

When Severus thought about his sister, what happened to her, and Thorn, he always hid his face. Sometimes it seemed like it was all too much for him to bear.

She walked over to her uncle and put her hand on his shoulder. "Severus?" Sparkie leapt from her shoulder to his and mewed in concern.

He looked up to her, a sad smile over his face, and said, "I'm fine, don't worry."

Thorn raised her eyebrows, a look she had learned from Severus. His general meaning of, 'yeah right.' She sat across from him and said, "I do worry, Severus."

He smiled back as strongly as he could and lightly rubbed Sparkie, who hummed in contentment, much like a cat would purr. "You've no need to. I'll be fine, I've just been thinking too much."

"Again," Thorn added in.

"Again," Severus agreed with a sad chuckle. Then, just as Thorn opened her mouth to speak, he held up his hand to silence her, and said, "Don't you apologize, like you were about to do. You always apologize when I think like this, but you have no need to."

"Severus," Thorn persisted, "I did-"

"I don't want to hear it, Thorn," Severus cut her off. He sighed and continued. "I'm the sorry one, Thorn."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Thorn assured him.

Severus sighed and nodded. "Alright. Have it your way. You were always stubborn," he joked, "Like your mother."

Thorn showed a small smile, then, changing the subject, she said, "We're on the brink of becoming Animagus, tomorrow we should succeed."

"Are you really?" Severus stated as he began shuffling through a stack of documents, "Congratulations, a feat not many would expect from first year students."

"No," Thorn agreed, "Yet it's a feat we will accomplish."

Severus smirked, then gathered the papers of the documents together. "I have to go see Professor Dumbledore. I've come up with my protection means."

Thorn nodded. "Alright." She watched him leave the room and followed after. She didn't ask what his protection means were. In fact, she already knew, but she wasn't allowed to tell anyone.

"Where are they?" Thorn asked Sparkie the next morning as she stood outside of the forest, not wearing her robes, for even without the sun it was warm enough.

Maken, Cade, and Celestial were late by half an hour. Thorn was waiting, but not at all annoyed. She figured that they had probably had trouble getting Maken out of bed.

Yet her wait wasn't a long one, five minutes later the three Gryffindors appeared. None of them was in their school robes. Celestial was wearing a maroon skirt and a black top, Cade a black tank top and black shorts. Maken, unsurprisingly, was in his pajamas.

"You ready?" She asked them as she began to go into the forest.

"Yeah," Cade said as he followed her into the trees, Maken and Celestial behind him.

When they entered their clearing they began right away, all of them impatient on finally becoming an animal. They each went to their own side of the clearing, for safety purposes. If the transformation went wrong the effects could be disastrous.

The final step was to focus your energy on changing. Putting all of your effort into becoming what animal you thought fit you best.

Thorn took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She clenched her hands and pushed all of her mind wise power through. Then she felt something extraordinarily. She felt tiny prickles as her clothes morphed into her skin to form her fur. She felt her ears prick up as they grew, and felt her body adjust to the tail forming at her tail bone. Her nails grew longer, and thicker, and her teeth grew into mighty tigers fangs.

Then it was over. She had succeeded. She blinked and looked down at her hands. They were no longer hands. They were large paws. She was a large tiger, black in coloration, grey stripes slashing her body. She noticed one more thing to make her markings. On her left for leg there was a patch of reddish silver right where the dark mark was.

_Sparkie, _she called out with her mind. He had flown off to take cover, just in case. Her voice had not changed mind wise, but she knew that her voice outside it would be a tiger's roar.

_You live! _Sparkie replied in a melodramatic voice, _It's a miracle!_

_Haha... _Thorn then looked around for the others. "Maken!" She called, or rather, roared. At his end of the field she saw a white form, which was small in proportion to her, yet tigers were large cats.

She walked over to him, the black pads on her paws absorbing the strain with surprising ease. She felt Sparkie land on her back and continued on.

When she approached him and saw what form he had taken, she was not the bit surprised. "Maken?" she growled lowly, wondering if he could understand her.

He leapt and turned to her, his white ears forward, his grey eyes showing shock at what lay ahead of him. Thorn noticed that a black heart surrounded his left eye. Then he tilted his head to the side curiously and said, "Thorn?"

She could make out his words, but he seemed to be talking in a hard accent. "Yes," she nodded her large, feline head, then she said, "I should've known."

Maken grinned a canine grin, "Yeah, I've always been fond of wolves." He looked over her once again, then said, "I've never seen a black tiger before."

"Nor have I, now, to the others." They walked to where Cade was, finding two forms in the distance, one was black, and the other golden.

"That must be them," Maken said. "Cade!" he howled, "Celestial!"

The two animals looked to them and came forward, Celestial by air, Cade running below her. When they reached each other they all began laughing, save for Thorn, who merely chuckled.

"Cade! I love it!" Maken exclaimed as he circled his friend.

Cade barked a laugh, his tail curled above his back. "Well, I've always been into huskies." Cade was a dog, an Alaskan Husky, to be precise. He had a black coat, a white C around his right eye. Sparkie pointed out that on his chest, there was a heart with a missing piece.

Celestial nodded her golden, feather clad head, and said, "Yeah, all of you are wonderful animals. Not surprising to me of any of you." Celestial was the largest of them, her golden feathers turned to fur in her mid back. Her forelegs were those of an eagle and her hind were lions. Huge wings erupted from her shoulders. Around each eye a white crescent moon was etched.

"Yes, and you as a griffin surprises no one either," Thorn stated.

Celestial smiled. Everyone else seemed to be talking with a strong accent, yet they could make out what each other were saying.

They changed back to human, and then to animal again, making sure that they had the hang of it. By the end of the day they could change into their animals without effort.

"Thorn," Celestial said as they sat around a small flame as the sun set, "I couldn't help but notice, in your tiger form, you had an odd mark on your left arm."

Thorn looked to the cover, then back to Celestial and nodded, "Yes," then, she stood up, and continued before any of the others could question her about it, "Well, we should get back, _Auquius!_" a jet of water flowed from her wand to the fire, putting it out.

The trip back to the castle didn't take nearly as long when they could run the distance on four legs instead of two, and, in Celestial's case, fly.

Back at the castle the four of them went to their corresponding houses. When Thorn climbed into her dormitory her fellow Slytherins were asleep. She silently changed into her bed clothes. They had done it, she was thinking, they had succeeded.


	12. Another Year Behind Us

**Disclaimer: Yada Yada Yada, you should know everything by now (unless you don't even read this) but everyone you recognize belongs to JK Rowling, everyone you don't belongs to some obsessed fan.**

**Author's Note: The end of their first year (by the tital) Hope you enjoyed going through it with them! Don't wory, it's not over yet! I might not have chapters up as often now (since school's starting and all) but don't give up on me!**

Chapter twelve

Another year behind us

"Another school year is behind us!" Albus said a week later at the end of the year feast. "Luckily for us, we've all survived!" he continued, joking. Most of the students laughed, and a few teachers joined in. "Now, it's time for the awarding of the house cup!"

Many Gryffindors groaned, including Maken, Cade, and Celestial. Thorn watched as her house snickered and nodded to each other.

"In fourth place, is Hufflepuff, with three-hundred and sixty-three points," Dumbledore continued.

A few Hufflepuff first years broke into tears, the others looked rather disappointed. Then Taffy Trelawney stood up. "Oh, don't worry, all will be well, don't fret, we just have to hope for the best and-"

"Shut up, Trelawney!" Antonette said as she threw a fork at her. The blonde screamed and dove under her table.

"In third place is Ravenclaw, with three-hundred and seventy points." There was a fair amount of cheering for this one. "In second place is Gryffindor, with four-hundred and twenty-seven points."

There was a good amount of applause for this, yet Thorn dreaded the next announcement.

"And in first place is Slytherin, with four-hundred and fifty-five."

The hall exploded at the Slytherin table. The house had not lost the cup ever since Charlie Weasley left the school. Thorn was not disappointed that her house had won the cup, but she was disappointed at her fellow students' poor winning habits.

The hangings from the ceiling remained the green and silver design of Slytherin for the next year, until someone else won the cup.

They ate their dinner at a slow pace, seeming to want to make it last, for tomorrow they would be on the Hogwarts Express.

Thorn stayed at her own table for the feast, for two main reasons. She was a Slytherin, and her house had just won the cup, what would be the point of going to another house table? And even if she'd wanted too, there was someone else sitting in her spot.

Piper Ceaira was sitting next to Maken. Her silver blond hair fell to just beyond her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes shone with every word she said.

"I thought Maken was more into burnets," Sparkie stated, "Wait, blondes are stupider. Hmm. Yeah, he definitely is a blonde person."

Thorn rolled her eyes, "You're so nice, Sparkie."

"Hey, someone has to be," he replied as he leapt to the table and began eating a dinner roll.

After a while, Sparkie got rather bored. He sighed and sat down on top of Thorn's now empty plate, picking at the last scraps of mashed potatoes. Then a sudden idea came to him, and his eyes gained a sly glint and he suddenly disappeared from view.

Thorn watched as he shimmered to nothing and followed his presence through the air. She could sense as he landed, right next to the bowl of mashed potatoes on the Gryffindor table.

Thorn sighed and turned back to her table and strained her ears to hear what was happening.

Sparkie snickered in his invisible state and grabbed a clawful of the white mush. Taking careful aim, he threw it directly at Piper, hitting her right in the face.

In Sparkie's opinion, the look on Maken's face was priceless. His mouth gaped open, and his eyes were wide. Then he clenched both his teeth and fists and said, "Sparkie!" right before getting a face full of mashed potatoes himself.

Maken wiped the food from his face and helped Piper do the same. "Okay, where did that come from?"

Maken looked as if struggling for words, finally he said, "Well, it's just Thorn's stupid lizard," another glob of mashed potatoes struck his face. Wiping them off, he said, "He likes playing jokes."

Piper's eyes hardened. "Thorn Rose?" She sighed, but said nothing more. She obviously wasn't very fond of Thorn, and obviously didn't want to say something that would anger Maken. She probably knew how much he hated it when people talked bad about her, though he never said anything.

Maken lunged towards the mashed potatoes as another clawful came towards him and Piper. He tried to grab the invisible lizard, but his fingers brushed air and he felt the draft from Sparkie's wings as he flew upwards.

He sighed, "Thorn!"

She rolled her eyes as she felt Sparkie land on her shoulder, and his body shook in silent laughter. Then she turned to Maken and said, "Yes?"

"Can you _try _to control that bloody lizard of yours?" he asked, the smallest note of pleading in his voice.

Thorn looked over to Cade, who looked to be suppressing laughter, and to Celestial, who rolled her eyes. "Maken, I cannot force him to do what he wishes not to do."

He shook his head, then said, "Please, Thorn, please."

She sighed. "Don't worry, he's done."

Maken smiled to her and turned back around. Thorn heard Piper whisper something, but didn't quite catch it.

"Are you angry, Thorn?" Sparkie asked her as he became visible again.

"No, Sparkie, you did nothing wrong," she replied in his tongue and turned back her table.

"No, not at me, but because that girl took your spot at the Gryffindor table."

Thorn looked to him, then back over her shoulder at Piper, who was clinging to Maken's arm. "No," she concluded. "Why would I be? It's not really _my _spot."

Sparkie sighed, but dropped the subject.

"Maken! Hurry up!" Thorn was saying as they boarded the train, "Why do you _always _sleep in?"

Maken climbed into the train after Cade and followed Celestial to the apartment Thorn had reserved for them, seeing as she had been one of the first ones in the train because of her early waking habits.

"What about Shooter and the others?" Celestial asked as she sat across from Thorn, "Are they back at your place?"

"Yes, they arrived yesterday afternoon," Thorn consented as Maken took his seat next to her.

Cade nodded, "Yeah." They were silent for a moment, even Maken being unable to think of something to say, then Cade continued, "Home is going to seem so, boring according to all of this."

Celestial nodded, "Yes, just me and Uncle Albus. I'm going to miss you all terribly!"

Maken sighed and said, "Just my mum, my dad, and me. Oliver's going off to Quidditch camp for the summer."

Thorn looked out the window, then back into the compartment and said, "I don't think there will be as much excitement at my house, but it definitely will not be boring."

"Well, yeah," Cade said, "You have a unicorn, pegasus, pegacorn, hippogriff and, what was the new one? A thresel?"

"Thestral," Thorn corrected him, then continued, "Well, yes, there's that, yet Severus and I always have something to do, weather it be practicing occlumency, or just talking."

Maken nodded, "Well, we should meet up, or something. Thorn, you know where I live. Cade, what about you?"

"I live in London, with my father," Cade replied.

"London!?" Maken half exclaimed, half asked, "I live in London!"

"Really?" Cade asked, the excitement in his voice obvious, "Where?"

"Well," Maken said, "We're more or less away from muggles; we're on the outskirts of the east side. How about you?"

"Well, I live in the North side, near the muggle school there."

"Cool!" Maken said, "We should hang out this summer!" Then he turned to Celestial, "Where do you live, Celestial?"

She looked hesitant, "Well, I can't say, but it doesn't matter anyway, Uncle Albus and I are going to be busy this summer."

"Right," Cade said, a bit confused, then he turned to Thorn, who was staring out the window with Sparkie sleeping on her shoulder, and said, "Where do you live, Thorn?"

"In the middle of a forest," Thorn answered blandly. She, like Celestial, could not tell anyone where she lived. Besides, she was telling the truth.

Cade laughed, "C'mon, seriously."

"Serious," Thorn stated as she looked back to him.

"Oh." They all fell silent again. They stayed that way till they were nearly at King's Cross, and then they only spoke for a brief time as well. They were all, including Thorn, not wanting the train ride to end, for then they would have to part ways.

"The train will be arriving in a quarter of an hour," a passing prefect was telling the students, "Get your things ready to be taken off of the train."

Again, the task was done in silence. Thorn was happy to be going home, but she had never had any real friends, aside from Maken, her entire life, and she knew that her summer would be different without them. In her mind she noted to make sure to visit, no matter what.

Then the train pulled into the station and slowed to a stop. The group of them gathered everything together and exited the train.

At the platform the four of them looked for their guardians. Severus was going to come by portkey later on, after he did everything that he had to at the school. Maken's father had borrowed a muggle car from the ministry and Cade's father drove a muggle car anyway. And Thorn had no clue how Celestial was going to get home.

"Ah," Oliver said as he stepped up next to his brother. "There's Mum and Dad." He turned to his friends; Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinet, Katie Bell, and Fred and George Weasley, and said good-bye. "C'mon, Maken." Then he began to walk towards Gary and Jamie Wood.

Maken sighed then turned to his group of friends. Thorn smiled slightly to him and said, "Good-bye, Maken, hopefully I'll see you over the summer."

Maken smiled back and said, "I'll keep an eye out for you, actually, the room you stayed in at our house is still the same," he laughed, "My mother actually said that she'd miss you around the house, her, oh what did she say, 'Fill in daughter.'" He laughed.

Thorn chuckled. Poor Mrs. Wood had no daughters and three sons, if you included her husband, Sparkie always joked. Thorn suspected that she had enjoyed having her around, another girl in the house, even though Thorn always kept to herself.

Maken turned to Cade and said, "Wind will be visiting you!"

Cade laughed, "And Cody will be at your place a few times as well!"

Then Celestial said, "Have fun this summer, Maken!"

"Oh yeah," Maken said, "Don't worry, I will."

Maken waved to them, dragging his maroon trunk, his owl cage under arm, as he and his family walked into the crowd of muggles.

Not long later Cade's father came. He was a fairly built man, his face set, as if he had seen something that had changed his life, which he had, Thorn reminded herself.

"Cade!" He called and his sad mouth widened into a smile as he embraced his son. "Ah! Good to see you again! So, how was your year?"

Cade smiled the biggest smile that Thorn had ever seen him wear. He was obviously very close to his father, just as Thorn was very close to Severus. "It was great, Dad! Oh! And, Dad, these are my friends, Celestial and Thorn. I wish you coulda met Maken, he left not long ago."

Cade's father smiled warmly to the two girls. Celestial smiled back to him and Thorn smirked. Sparkie yawned and woke up, looking up at the muggle man.

He held his hand out to Celestial, who shook it, then to Thorn, who did as well. He had a strong grip. "Nice to meet both of you. I'm glad to see that Cade met people."

Thorn nodded, "Yes, sometimes finding people that you can get to know is harder then any class you may take. Hogwarts has drastically differing students."

Cade's father laughed slightly and said, "Same goes for any school, magic or not. Well, Cade and I must get going, again, nice to meet you." Then the two of them walked off.

Thorn and Celestial looked to each other then sat down at one of the benches to await their rides home. When near to everyone had left, and very few people remained at the platform, Severus came walking down the way. He was wearing just black pants and a black shirt, his robes and cloaks probably back at the house.

"Ready?" he asked as he reached the two of them. Thorn nodded and stood, Sparkie, who had hidden in her book bag before muggles could see him, popped his little head out and smiled up to Severus before Thorn pushed him back in.

"Alright," Severus continued, then he turned to Celestial and nodded slightly in recognition of her presence, then the pair of them walked off, Thorn waved slightly behind her.

When they were out of sight of any muggles Severus took a glass bottle from the floor and pointed his wand to it, "_Portus._" Then he handed the new portkey to Thorn and said, "I'll see you at home."


	13. Another one!

**Disclaimer: Again, I only own Sparkie and Thorn, Maken, Cade, Celestial, and Taffy belong to friends or family of mine, and everyone else is JK Rowlings. **

**Author's Note: The tital of this chapter should give away somewhat of what's gonna happen, and yes, I tried to leave you in suspence at the end! Haha!**

Chapter thirteen

Another one!

As soon as she touched the bottle she felt as if a hook had grabbed her right at her navel and pulled her backwards. Soon she felt her feet hit ground again and her kitchen swirled into view in front of her.

The loud pop of apparation echoed through the house as Severus appeared next to her. He walked back to his room and changed back into his wizarding clothes, unable to stand being in muggle wear.

The two of them lazed around for the rest of the day. Thorn made sure the creatures were okay, then she and Severus sat in their according arm chairs in the gloomy, but somehow comforting, front room and read.

About two weeks into their vacation, something to make it a bit more interesting occurred. Severus had been at the kitchen window early one morning, staring out at the barely visible red sky through the towering trees, when something fell into the earth not for from the house.

His dark eyes widened and his brow furrowed in wonder as he looked upon the site of the fallen matter. It was oval and of a dark color. "Thorn?" he asked his niece, whom was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the Daily Prophet.

She looked up from the front page, which read, _Shipment of Dragon Eggs Flys from Britain to Romania._ "Yes?" she answered, folding the paper up and joining him at the window just as Sparkie walked into the room, eyes half closed, wings dragging on the cold, stone floor.

Severus and Thorn both stared at the bolder-like thing laying in their yard, speechless. Both knew what it was, and both knew that it could be bad. _Shadow, _Thorn thought to the pegacorn, _Stay away from the house for a while. I'll tell you when you can come back. Warn the others, and keep watch on your father, he'll disobey me._

She felt the pegacorn's words wander at the edge of her mind, _Shall do._

_What is it? _Sparkie asked her, still halfway asleep as he tried to climb her leg. _What's goin' on? I swear, _he said with a grunt as he finally pulled himself onto her shoulder, _I didn't do it this time._

_No, you didn't, _Thorn concluded, _Look. _She gestured out the window.

Sparkie's eyes widened and he was soon wide awake. "Holy Horntail!" he gasped as he perched himself higher to get a better look. "D'you know what that is!?"

She nodded, "Yes..." she muttered in her own language.

Severus looked down to her and said, "What do we do?"

Thorn shook her head, thinking of what could happen, then she looked up to Severus and said, "There's only one thing we can do."

Severus sighed, already knowing what she was going to say. "Thorn, we can't keep it."

"We have to, we can't give it back to them, the ministry," she said the last two words with scorn. "I can take it in, I can control it."

Severus looked back out the window, and, for a moment, Thorn thought that he was going to disagree, but then he turned to her, a smirk on his lips, and said, "You can try. Thank god the house is stone."

Thorn nodded, "Yeah, fireproof as it can get, but we can cast a charm over it to help out." Then she walked away from the window and began towards the door.

"Thorn," Severus called suddenly.

"Yes?" she said, turning to him.

"Watch yourself," he warned, his black eyes serious.

"Don't worry."

Thorn walked out into the small clearing that surrounded their home and made her way to the egg. Sparkie was sitting on her shoulder, fidgety as they neared the infant dragon.

"Thorn," he said suddenly, "What if you can't control it?"

"Way to be optimistic, Sparkie," Thorn said sarcastically as she kneeled down by the egg and the small crater that it had made. She touched the rough shell and sighed. "Good, it's alive."

"_Good!?_" Sparkie exclaimed, "**_Good!?_** You _want _it alive? If it had died we wouldn't have had to worry!"

"Yes, I do," Thorn stated, "I want to take the challenge."

"Just to prove you can?" Sparkie sighed.

"Yes," Thorn admitted. "I'm going to hatch it, and raise it."

"Another one!" Sparkie exclaimed as he leapt to the sky and flew circles around them in agitation. Then, as he landed, he said, "Why _another _one!?"

Thorn had gripped the egg within her arms. It was about the size of a quaffle, but much heavier. It also had a strange heat radiating from it. "Because, Sparkie," Thorn said as she stood and began to walk back to the house, "I can't stand to see an animal die if I could have helped it live."

Sparkie sighed, but didn't argue more. Severus opened the door for her, seeing as her arms were wrapped around the egg, and closed it after her. "What breed do you think it is?"

Thorn walked into the living room and sat in her armchair, while Severus sat in his next to her. "Oh, it was on the tip of my tongue!" She shook her head, "Sparkie, would you please get me my book, _Dragons of the World?_" Then she thought to Shadow, _You may come nearer, now. Danger's gone, for the moment._

Sparkie nodded and flew into her room; Severus looked to the egg then to his niece's face. Worry was shrouding him. It was dangerous to own a dragon. Never before had one been trained. He sighed, "Thorn, I want you to be very careful with this dragon. You know how dangerous they can be."

She nodded, "I know, but I'm sure that I can do this." She looked up to Severus, whom was watching her with concern. "I know I can."

Severus nodded. "Alright. We'll see, won't we?"

Just then Sparkie came back, dragging the book, which was wrapped in his tail. "Here," he grunted as he set the book at Thorn's feet.

She picked it up and opened it. Flipping through the pictures of the dragon eggs, she soon came to one that mimicked hers exactly. "Hebridean Black Dragon," she concluded. Then she flipped to the page that it directed and read aloud. "Britain's other native dragon is more aggressive then its Welsh counterpart," She heard Severus shift at that, "It requires a territory of as much as a hundred square miles per dragon. Up to thirty feet in length, the Hebridean Black is rough-scaled, with brilliant purple eyes and a line of shallow but razor-sharp ridges along its back. Its tail is tipped by an arrow-shaped spike and it has bat like wings. The Hebridean black feeds mostly on deer, thought it has been known to carry off large dogs and even cattle. The wizard clan MacFusty, who have swelled in the Hebrides for centuries, have traditionally taken responsibility for the management of their native dragons."

Thorn looked to the picture of the dragon in the book. It was large, and black scaled. Its purple eyes shown as it breathed a steady stream of fire towards a small town below, where the people were running and screaming to get away.

"Thorn!" Sparkie exclaimed, "It's going to grow to a cold-blooded killer!"

"Sparkie," she stated in his tongue, not wanting to cause Severus more pain at her self opinion, "Some of us know the feeling of being cold-blooded killers."

Sparkie sighed, but said nothing. He hated being the one who made her say such comments.

The next day Thorn had put the egg into a fire that would only go out when magically done so and was sitting at her desk, writing up as much about Hebridean Blacks that she could find in books. Suddenly a letter was dropped on top of her parchment and Midnight flew to her perch.

"Sparkie's taught you well," Thorn commented as she picked up her letter and looked upon Maken's neat scrawl. Sparkie and Midnight had become friends, finally, and Sparkie had been teaching the owl the gift of silent flight.

Thorn opened the envelope and took Maken's letter from within, and read it quietly to herself.

_Thorn,_

_Hey! How're things at the Snape-Rose household? As interesting as things are here? Well, if so, then I feel rather sorry for you! Cade is planning on coming up later this week, he couldn't come earlier, said he was busy helping his new neighbors move in. They have a daughter. Ha, he's got some good teasing coming his way! I dunno if you'd care to join me but Sparkie -- Wait, no, I'm not even going to offer Sparkie help me with something. Anyway, I was wondering if you could come up as well. I dunno when and I actually don't think it matters. My parents won't care. _

_Miss you,_

_Maken_

Thorn folded the letter and put it into her desk drawer with all his other letters. She would've put Cade's and Celestial's there as well, had they sent her any. She took a fresh piece of parchment and began to respond.

_Maken,_

_Things at the "Snape-Rose household" just got a bit more interesting. I'll explain later, but you can be sure that this time it won't be a secret, just wait until I have the time to get over there. Cade has a new neighbor? Wonderful, she's a muggle, right? I'm sure that Sparkie would join you in the harassment if you were anyone else. I'm still not sure, but I think he's afraid of you taking his place. Rather foolish of him. I'll be up there as soon as things get even more interesting here, which is bound to happen soon. _

_Sincerly,_

_Thorn Rose_

Thorn sealed the letter and whistled to call Hecate to her. Hecate, the owl that had delivered Severus's last letter to Severa. Hecate, who had seen too much. She gave the letter to the grey and black owl and she flew into the twilight.

Three days later, just as the sun was rising, about half an hour before Thorn would wake, a loud crack echoed through her room. She jumped out of her sleep, on her feet in seconds, her wand held out, ready to face anything.

But her room was perfectly still, nothing out of the ordinary. Her school books piled on her desk, Sparkie tumbling around in his sleep, the egg basking in the fire's heat. Thorn froze. The egg.

She tentivly walked to the flames and kneeled next to the egg. A deep line had appeared in the surface. A small smirk crossed over Thorn's face and she woke Sparkie up by mind wise yelling. _Dear lord, why must you get up this early? _

_Sparkie, _she reasoned, _That's like asking, "Why must Maken get up so late."_

The lizard pondered that, then though, _Why does he?_

Thorn rolled her eyes slightly, then got on to tell him what she had meant to in the first place, _It's hatching._


	14. Fang and Melissa

**Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, please don't sue, I understand completely that I own none of JK's Characters.**

**Author's Note: Enter two new characters! I think this might be the longest chapter, hope it isn't too long!**

Chapter fourteen

Fang and Melissa

Sparkie snapped wide awake and quickly glided to her shoulder. "Really?"

Thorn sighed, "No, Sparkie," she said sarcastically, "I lied. Of course it is. Look." She traced over the thin crack with her finger.

Sparkie's eyes widened and he leapt back when suddenly the egg trembled under Thorns touch. "Wow!" he said, slightly in awe, slightly in fear.

"It's now," Thorn whispered, "Go, get Severus."

Sparkie nodded quickly and flew out of her room. Thorn watched the egg, which had stopped moving again. The flames continued to lick at the black shell, making the crack more vividly visible. Shadows danced across the dark room, and her face, making her look menacing. The fire reflected in her dark eyes, making them seem evil.

Then Severus and Sparkie returned, Severus in his long, grey nightshirt. He rushed to Thorn's side and looked over the egg. "Ah, it's hatching."

As if waiting for Severus to say that, the egg gave a violent jerk and a rather large piece of shell went flying, and hit Sparkie right in the stomach, making him plummet to the ground, yelping.

Thorn knew that she should help him, otherwise he would feel unloved and sulk for a couple of hours, but she didn't want to turn from the egg, where a small black head had emerged from the new hole, covered in a thin membrane.

Not long later, the little creature must've spread its wings, for another deep crevice swept through the shell and it cleaved clean in two, each according half falling to the fire.

The pair of them stared at the baby dragon. Sparkie lay flat on his back on the floor, the piece of shell on his little chest, whimpering. _Sparkie, _Thorn thought, _You can get up yourself, we both know that._

Sparkie huffed and rolled over onto his stomach, then he crawled under her bed, and pouted.

Severus's eyes never left the young dragon, nor did Thorn's. After a moment while the dragon shook the tiny bits of shell and remaining membrane from its scaly body it opened its eyes and spread its wide, black wings.

Its purple orbs first met Thorn's black eyes and held the gaze of them. It blinked and made a small noise that seemed like it should've been made from Sparkie. No words were recognizable, as it was still an infant, but Thorn knew that dragons were brilliant creatures, and would learn how to talk really quickly, within two hours that they're born. She knew that it would be able to understand her as well.

"Hey," she said in the dragons tongue, and it looked up to her, obviously startled to hear this being speak a language that he could understand. "I'm not your mother, but you have to listen to me, or you'll die, they'll kill you."

The small black dragon nodded its reptilian head and struggled for words, but still couldn't master speech, so it kept silent and waited for Thorn to continue.

"You've got to stay out of sight, so don't leave the forest, you'll know what one in a moment, also, as for food, I'll bring you all the food you need. We don't want you to end up picking up another of the animals living there." It nodded again

She studied the dragon for a moment and realized its gender. "He's a male," she told Severus, whom had been watching the two of them. Then she turned back to the dragon and said, "You're name is Fang." She repeated the name in human language so he knew how to recognize it otherwise.

He nodded once again and then he crawled from the flame, rather clumsily at that, and climbed onto Thorn's knees.

She smiled slightly. The young reptile was only about the size of a house cat, but it was bigger then Sparkie, heck, almost everything was bigger then Sparkie. Thorn took out her wand, muttered, _Aquarius, _and once again thanked the fact that she could use magic out of school for sake of occlumency.

Then she picked the small dragon up and stood, Severus stood next to her and the two of them looked over the baby in her arms. "Does he understand the risks?"

Thorn nodded, "Yes, he does." Then she turned to her bed, kneeled down once again, and reached under. A moment later she pulled her hand out, clutching something unseen in her fingers. "Sparkie," she scolded, "Come on. Say hi to Fang."

The lizard steadily became visible again, and Fang, who was perched upon Thorn's left arm, holding onto her with all four feet and his long, spike tipped tail, watched Sparkie with a curious gaze. Sparkie looked at the young dragon angrily, but a sudden calmness swept over his face, _Aw!, _Sparkie thought,_ Okay, I can't hate this guy! He's a little baby! _

_Wow, _Thorn replied sarcastically, _Someone that you don't hate._

_Haha..._

Severus nodded, "Good, well, I'm going to go get into my day robes." With a curt nod he left the room.

Thorn turned to her bed, set both reptiles down on it, and went to her dresser. Pulling out her regular clothes and changed into them. Pulling her hair and medallion out from under the tank top she let Fang climb onto her shoulder. Sparkie flew to her other and she walked out of the room.

Severus was sitting at the table, reading the daily prophet, when she came in. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"Well," Thorn said as she sat down across from him, "I'm going to head to Maken's, but I don't know how long it will take. I don't want to use a portkey, or floo powder, for I'm brining Fang, and to use either of those methods would be to get ministry permission or supervision, so I was going to fly. How long do you think that would take?"

Severus thought about it, then he said, "Well, near to three hours, I think. When would you be leaving?"

Thorn looked to her watch, "It's five thirty, Maken would not be up this early. I'll go over around nine, and get there near noon. He's planning on seeing Cade today, so he'll be up earlier then normal, which means eleven for him."

Severus smirked. "Alright, but be careful."

Thorn nodded, "I will be."

Around two hours later Thorn was sitting in her chair, Fang in her lap, looking around with mild interest, Sparkie on her shoulder, sleeping. Severus had gone to see Albus about the conditions of next year. Suddenly, Thorn heard someone say, "What's your name?"

She looked around, then down at fang, whose purple eyes were watching her. _Ah, he's learned how to speak._

_I don't like the llama... _Sparkie thought in his sleep.

Thorn rolled her eyes and Fang continued, "You told me my name, but not yours, or that other human's."

"Oh, sorry," Thorn clicked back, "I'm Thorn," again, she repeated the names in her tongue, "And the other one is Severus. I see that you've learned how to talk."

Fang nodded his black head, "Yeah. I was wondering, what happened to my mum? How did you get to own me? And why am I in danger?"

Thorn sighed, "According to an article that I read, you're mothers dead." Fang's wings drooped a little with her words, "She was killed by some foolish witches and wizards that were after her eggs to sell them illegally. You got here because while they were flying you and your siblings to Romania, you fell from the shipment and landed in out yard. You're in danger because the minister thinks that you've hatched early and are a raging, dangerous, out of control monster, even though you're young. He's a fool too."

Fang had gone still, his eyes staring at some random book in the bookshelf, then he said, "Are you going to protect me?"

Thorn looked down to the young thing in her arms, and felt very small twinge of pity come to her mind. "Don't worry, I will."

"Be sure not to be seen," Severus was saying as Thorn mounted Shadow, Fang sitting in front of her on the pegacorn's back, and Sparkie on her shoulder, "But most of all, be careful." He put one of his hands over hers, which were firmly holding Shadows main, "Watch yourself."

She nodded, "I will."

Severus smiled, squeezed her hand once more, then let go and watched them as Shadow spread her mighty, feather covered wings and propelled herself into the air.

Thorn leaned down close to her, pressing herself against Fang's small form. The air rushed by her bare arms and whipped at her face, but it was still a wonderful feeling. Thorn preferred it to a broomstick, while Maken would prefer a broomstick to almost anything.

Sparkie began to glide around the three of them, going in and out of the small clouds that they passed. Shadow whinnied a laugh and did the same. Thorn smirked and Fang looked as if he wished to join them, but sadly, he couldn't fly yet.

When they reached the edge of the trees below them, Thorn thought to Shadow, _Stay in the clouds now, we can't be seen._

Shadow nodded and flew upwards. Thorn didn't worry about Sparkie being seen, he'd just look like a bird at this altitude. But it was harder to explain a flying horse.

During the long three hour flight, Fang fell asleep and Sparkie fluttered around them, happy to be flying. Shadow seemed tireless, not faltering or stopping once. Thorn admired her, for she was holding the weight of a human and a young dragon without complaint.

"Here, there's his house," Thorn said as she pointed down through the thin clouds to a house that was distant from the city.

Shadow neighed and went into decent; Fang woke up as the sudden drop began. Sparkie flew ahead of them and landed on Maken's roof, while Shadow went to the clearing behind the house.

_Sparkie, _Thorn thought to him, _Tell Maken that we've arrived._

Sparkie groaned, but listened. Soon, Maken came out of the backdoor and ran towards them, "Thorn!" he exclaimed as he got nearer. Thorn had dismounted and was standing in front of Fang, "It's been a long while!" Sparkie glided after him.

Thorn nodded. "Yes, it has."

"So," Maken continued, "What happened around your house to make it more interesting?"

Thorn smirked, "Promise me that you won't tell your father?"

Maken's look turned to a confused one. "Uh, okay, I promise that I won't tell my father. Now, what is it?" He seemed anxious.

Thorn searched his expression for a moment then turned around and picked up Fang. As she turned to Maken, she heard him gasp.

"A... _dragon!?_" he half whispered, half exclaimed, "Thorn, you have a _dragon!?_"

Thorn nodded. "Yes, a dragon. He's the 'raging psychotic dragon' that Fudge is so afraid of. He didn't hatch early; he landed in my front yard."

Maken's jaw was still dropped as he took a timid step forwards. "But, Thorn, isn't it illegal to own a dragon? I mean, what if the ministry finds out?"

Thorn made a soft noise of annoyance. "They won't, and if they do, there's no way their dragging me into Azkaban for taking care of an abandoned dragon."

Maken nodded, still seeming amazed that his friend had actually succeeded in getting a dragon, came even closer to her, and held his hand out to the young reptile.

Fang looked up to Maken, confusion clouding his eyes. Then he turned to Thorn, whom nodded and muttered, in dragon language, "He's Maken, he's okay."

The baby dragon nodded, then ran his scaly head under Maken's hand. Thorn heard Maken gasp as he felt Fang's surprisingly rough hide, and say something that sounded like, "Impossible..."

Thorn nodded, "Seems that way, doesn't it?"

Maken shook his head, still in disbelief, then he said, with a small chuckle, "Thorn, you never cease to amaze me."

She smirked, "You can count on that."

Maken smiled and said, "So, do you have to keep him out here? Cade's on his way over, so, I wanted to be able to greet him and his new... _friend._"

Thorn nodded and said, "Well, I'll go out to the front of the house then, I don't want to chance your father finding out about Fang."

Maken nodded, "Yeah, that'll work, I'll join you."

Fang climbed onto her shoulder, and Sparkie flew to the other as Thorn and Maken began to walk around the house. Shadow followed Thorn closely, constantly neighing and looking around.

Out in front of the Wood's house, Thorn and Maken sat in the large grass field, waiting for Cade to show up, Maken picking at the grass impatiently, while Thorn sat staring at the sky in thought.

Then Sparkie said, "Hey! Look! There's something coming!" And no doubt, off in the distance, was a large, green truck heading towards the residence.

Maken stood up and sighed, "Finally!"

Thorn stayed seated on the grass and watched as Maken half ran half jogged to where the dirt road was. In the distance, Thorn saw Cade's familiar, spiky head emerge from the truck, and then a head of auburn hair next to him. If Thorn hadn't have known better, she might have thought that Celestial had joined Cade, but this must be his new, as Maken said it, _friend._

As the three of them made their way over to her, Sparkie, Fang, and Shadow, it was obvious that Celestial was not the accompanying girl. Celestial was taller, and had shorter hair that was constantly pulled into a low ponytail. This new girl had longer hair, not as long as Thorn's. The auburn locks fell to her mid back and were held back in a white headband. She was wearing a bracelet -- Thorn figured that it must've been a muggle thing -- and a matching watch. Her complexion was also darker then Celestial's, her tan skin falling into perfect sync with her dark hair.

"Hey, Thorn," Cade said as he reached her.

"Hey," Thorn said as she stood, "It's been a while. I'd like you to meet Fang," she gestured to the black dragon, basking in the sun, who's purple eyes shot open at sound of his name, and he looked to Thorn.

Cade's eyes widened as he saw the dragon, "Woah, how'd you- Never mind, I don't want to know. Anyway, Thorn, this is Melissa."

For the first time the two girls looked each other in the eye, Thorn's hard, empty black ones into Melissa's bright hazel. The muggle girl held her hand out and, in a sweet voice, she said, "Nice to meet you." She seemed slightly intimidated by Thorn's emotionless gaze, but kept quiet.

The Slytherin smirked and took her hand, "And you, I'm Thorn."

Melissa smiled, "Ah, yes, Cade's spoken about you," she and he exchanged glances, then she said, "You seem just as he described."

Thorn watched her intently, her mind working fast, "How did he describe me?"

The three others seemed nervous, and Thorn wasn't the only one to notice. Shadow kept looking from one to the other, her dark brown eyes suspicious, Sparkie's eyes narrowed and he muttered under his breath, Fang stood and came to Thorn's side, sensing the tension between the four of them.

"Eh... How about we... Take a walk around my property," Maken said, breaking the silence that had grown to an uncomfortable state.

"Sure," Thorn said coldly.

The four of them wandered around the large grass field, Fang perched upon Shadow's back, Sparkie flying laps around them, and the pegacorn herself keeping close to Thorn. Cade, Melissa, and Maken were all engaged in talk about the differences between muggles and magic folk. Obviously, Melissa knew of the magic world. Thorn kept quiet the whole time, her mind engaged in deep thought.

Soon they came to a small stream, swimming with minnows and other small fish. Thorn remembered when she would sit by this same creek and think to herself.

"Ah," Maken said as he sat next to the water, "I love this place."

Cade nodded, "Yeah, this is such a cool little get-away." He threw himself onto the grass next to Maken, whom had taken his shoes off and put his feet into the ice cool water.

"It's beautiful," Melissa remarked, "I could just sit here all day." Then she sat next to Cade.

Thorn stayed standing next to Shadow, whom whinnied and snorted quietly. "Yes, it's a good place to just sit and think, so tranquil, and quiet."

Melissa smiled up to her, then said, "I've been meaning to ask about your... horse?"

Shadow threw back her black head, making her silky black main fly, and neighed. Her horn, which had changed from gold to silver as she was growing, caught the sun at the perfect angle, casting a rainbow across the surface of the stream. Melissa gasped, awestruck.

"Pegacorn," Thorn stated simply, "Her mother is a rare pegasus, and her father a unicorn. She's a mixed breed, and illegal, but that won't make me do what the ministry would have me."

"What would the ministry have you do?" Melissa asked cautiously, afraid to make the feeling between them worse off then she had already.

"They would have me kill her," Melissa's eyes grew shocked, "She's a danger, so they think, same with Fang here. Fudge is looking for him. He wants him dead because of some stupid excuse the rider who dropped him made up. They all think he's on the loose and raging crazy."

Melissa nodded and then looked back to the stream. Thorn ran her hand over Shadow's forehead and down her neck. _Thorn,_ she thought, _What do you think Cade told her? _

Thorn shook her head, _I don't know._

Shadow grunted in annoyance, _He doesn't appreciate you._ She muttered in Thorn's mind.

The Slytherin shook her head, _He may not appreciate me, but at least he respects me. He doesn't hate me, though I'm not his favorite person in the world. I can tell. _

"Thorn?" Maken was saying, Thorn hadn't even noticed that he'd stood next to her, "You okay?"

Thorn smirked and nodded, ignoring the looks that Cade and Melissa were giving her. "Maken, you really should know by now, I'm-"

"Just thinking." Both of them said.

Maken laughed, "I figured."

Melissa and Cade stood as well and walked over to where Thorn, Maken, and Shadow were standing. Fang was sleeping on the pegacorn's back, and Sparkie was casting venomous glances at Cade and Melissa. "So, we gonna head up to the house?" Cade asked, not noticing Sparkie.

Maken, whom had caught Sparkie's glare, looked up to Cade and said, "Ah, er, yeah, let's go." He began to walk back to the house in the distance.

Thorn followed directly behind, Shadow next to her, Sparkie on her shoulder, still giving Cade, whom had followed behind, the evil eye. "Sparkie," she hissed, "Stop it."

Sparkie's gaze never moved, "No, he told that girl a bunch of lies about you."

"He told her no lies," Thorn clarified, "He told her the truth, or all the truth that he knows. Like that I have no emotion, that my family is dead but no one knows why, I can talk to snakes, lizards, any reptile. Sparkie, if you didn't know me and someone told you that, what would you think?"

Sparkie looked up to her for the first time in five minutes and said, "I'd say, 'Cool! Where can I meet her!?'"

Thorn sighed, "Sparkie, sometimes you're a lost cause."

"Yes," Sparkie clicked, "But you love me anyway!"

Thorn rolled her eyes, "I have to, you're practically me. I have no choice."

"Hey!" Sparkie exclaimed as he turned full around to look at Thorn's face, instead of into her hair, "Well, let's just see if I come back after that remark!" Then he spread his red wings and flew off into the clouds.

"Where'd Sparkie go?" Maken asked Thorn as he fell into step next to her. Thorn couldn't help but catch the bit of hopefulness in his voice.

"Oh, don't get too happy, he'll be back," Thorn stated as she looked into the sky. And not three minutes later, Sparkie came dive-bombing back, landing on Thorn's shoulder, once again, and throwing his little arms, legs, and large wings around her head, making her view entirely red and blue. "I MISSED YOU!" he wined.

"Uh, Thorn?" Maken said cautiously, "You gotta little-"

"I know," Thorn cut him off in a slightly annoyed voice. Then, in the lizard's language, she said, "I missed you, too. May I have my head back now?"

Sparkie nodded and unwrapped himself from her. Cade and Melissa came forwards to the pair of them and Thorn heard Maken snicker. "Just say it," Cade said, obviously prepared for what Maken was gonna say.

Maken looked as if he were using every inch of self control that he could in not mocking Cade. Then he said, "Cade, I don't have the right to mock you yet."

"Yet?" Cade echoed.

"Yet," Maken concluded with a sly grin.

Thorn sighed and rolled her eyes and Melissa giggled. "Maken, just say it," the witch said as she ran her hand over Fang's head, for he'd woken up.

Maken bit his lower lip to stop the flow of words from coming from his mouth, but in the end, he failed. "Should Thorn and I, ya know, leave you two alone?"

Thorn smirked as Cade and Melissa went scarlet. Sparkie snickered and Cade threw him an annoyed look, which he responded to by showing Cade his red, fleshy tongue.

When they reached the house, Maken's father had gone to work and his mother was shopping. "You can bring them in now," he told Thorn, who was holding baby fang in her arms.

They all went into the house, Shadow with much difficulty, and only thanks to an enlargement charm used by Thorn, did they get her through the doorway.

Maken lead them to his room, which was on the first landing, luckily for Shadow, and they all gathered around the small room. Cade and Melissa sat on the bed, Maken sat at his desk, and Thorn sat, cross legged on the floor, her back against Shadow, whom was lying down against the wall. Fang was on Thorn's lap, his head resting on the cover, and Sparkie was sitting on Shadow's head.

"So, Thorn," Melissa said, once again trying to bring up conversation with the anti-social Slytherin. "I noticed that you can use magic, but Cade said that wizards and witches couldn't during the summer. Why can you, then?"

Thorn ran her hand over Fang's rough back, and pricked her fingers on one of his razor sharp spikes. She looked at her blood that was slowly flowing from the shallow cut, ignored the surprised gasp that echoed around the room, and said, "I have to practice occlumency throughout the year, including the summer, so I need to use magic."

"Oh, eh," Melissa shook her head to rid herself of the shock that came from seeing Thorn get hurt and not even wince, "What, ahem, what's occlumency?"

"It's the art of defending ones mind against intrusion; you have to rid yourself of emotion. It's not a very commonly used branch of magic, but it is extremely useful."

"To stop intrusion?" Cade quoted, "Intrusion from what?"

"From those that can use Legimency," noticing all of their confused faces, Thorn clarified, "The act of looking into someone's mind, to see if they are lying, to see what their planning, such like that."

"So, um," Melissa said uneasily, as if the idea of witches and wizards was beginning to scare her, "So, some magic people can read minds, then?"

Thorn shook her head, she had to remember that Melissa was a muggle and didn't know of these things like some witches and wizards she knew did. "No, the human mind is not a book, ideas and feelings are not printed on the inside of the skull to be simply read, it's a complexed thing, layered. Legimency lets your opponent look into your deepest thoughts and feelings. It is impossible to lie to a master legimense unless you are a master occlumense."

"So," Melissa said, thinking while she spoke, "You practice occlu... yeah, so that you can lie to people easier?"

The room went silent. Cade was looking to Thorn, obviously having never considered that possibility, Maken was watching her, knowing that she wasn't one to lie to people constantly, and wondering what she did use her skill for then. Thorn's dark eyes had never left Melissa's, "No, I practice occlumency to make my mind stronger, to keep myself and those that I care about safe."

"Safe from what?" Maken asked, hoping to get a real answer.

_Man, _Sparkie thought, _Is this "Twenty Questions on Thorn" or something?_

Thorn didn't reply to him, but turned to Maken and said, "You'll know one day."

Maken sighed in annoyance, tired of knowing almost nothing about his best friend, "Fine, anyway, let's talk about something else, okay?"

They all thought about a new subject for a while, then suddenly Maken said, "Cade, you have an interesting name, where it come from?"

Cade smiled and said, "Well, Cade was my grandfathers name, my mother's father."

"What's your middle name?" Maken asked, as he began to unconsciously rip up a bit of parchment.

Cade chuckled, "Don't laugh okay?" Maken nodded and Cade continued, "Joshua. My cousin's name."

"Oh, that's cool!" Melissa said as she placed her hand on his arm. Amazingly, Sparkie and Maken exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. "Cade Joshua Roran. I like it."

"Where did your name come from, Mel?" Cade asked, again, Maken and Sparkie exchanged looks.

Melissa giggled again, and said, "Well, Melissa is just a name my mother liked, and Jean came from my aunt, who died before I was born in a plane crash."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cade said.

"Don't worry, I never knew her so I'm okay," the muggle shrugged.

Cade looked to the ceiling, "Melissa Jean Harris."

Maken looked as if Christmas had come early, "Yeah, and think, Melissa Jean Roran."

Sparkie cracked up instantly and fell from an annoyed Shadow's head, Cade and Melissa both went red and Cade said, "Maken! Don't make me hurt you!"

Maken, however, had cracked up with Sparkie and both were rolling around on the floor in laughter. Even Thorn had chuckled at that.

Cade's face was red from anger and embarrassment, "Well, Maken, tell us what your name stands for? Ridicule? Annoyance!?"

"Actually, no," Maken said as he tried to regain himself, "Maken means 'has too much fun ticking others off.' Heh, anyway, I got my name from... I think my godfather... he's off somewhere in Alaska, trying to train Yeti's. My middle name I got from my uncle, he's going insane, I swear! The other day he ran into a window while chasing fireflies." Cade snorted as he tried not to laugh, Melissa actually did laugh, Thorn Smirked, and Sparkie went into an even larger fit of laughter. "Maken Ty Wood."

Then he turned to Thorn and said, "So, where'd you get your name from?"

Thorn had been wondering when they'd ask her, "My mother got the Name Thorn from my father's last name, Rose. 'She's the Rose's Thorn,' she used to say."

"Ah," Maken said, "So your name's supposed to be a pun, sorry 'bout that."

Thorn smirked, "Yes, and my middle name was the name of my grandmother on my mother's side. Samara."

"Samara?" Melissa repeated, "That's a cool name. Sounds... mysterious to me."

"Thorn Samara Rose," Maken stated, "Cool."

Cade snickered and said, "Thorn Samara Wood." But when neither Thorn nor Maken blushed in the least he stopped snickering and looked to the ground.

"Don't even start with that, Cade," Maken said annoyed, "It's just not right."

Thorn nodded, "Yes, and don't make me join them in mocking you, I usually don't stoop to such lows, but if provoked... You have been warned."

Again, Cade said nothing. He didn't want to get Thorn against him as well, it was bad enough with Sparkie and Maken, but with Thorn? He didn't even want to think of it.

"So Thorn," Melissa spoke up, still trying to get onto even footing with the dark haired witch, "Why do you wear that?" She pointed to the cover.

_I swear, it's a conversation starter, _Thorn thought to Shadow, for Sparkie was still laughing. "No reason."

"Then will you take it off?" Maken asked, always hopeful.

"No."

He sighed just as the door bell rang. "Oh, that'll be my dad," Cade said, standing up, Melissa standing next to him, "Sorry we couldn't stay longer, but tonight's my night to walk the dogs."

"Oh, yeah, don't worry about it, mate," Maken said optimistically, "Come on, I'll walk you to the door. Thorn, you comin'?"

Thorn nodded and stood, Fang in her arms, Sparkie, finally recollecting himself, on her shoulder, and Shadow standing to follow behind. The large, mismatched group went to the door, and Maken opened it to see Cade's father standing ahead of him, "Hey, Mr. Roran."

"Maken, you can call me Tyler," he replied, then he looked to Cade and Melissa and said, "You two ready?"

They both nodded and he saw Thorn behind them, "Ah, Thorn, good to see you again."

Thorn nodded and heard Tyler ask Maken, loudly for mockery, "Did these two behave themselves?"

Sparkie fell into a new laughter fit and Maken was trying, and failing, to look like he hadn't found it funny. Cade and Melissa, who were already red, turned a deep shade of crimson and Cade said, "DAD!"

Tyler laughed and said, "Well, we'd better go, before my son murders me, nice to see you two again," then he walked back to his truck, laughing, followed by Cade and Melissa whom had just had the most embarrassing day of their lives.


	15. Having to Worry

**Disclaimer: I own none of JK's original characters and only own two of the main ones myself.**

**Author's Note: Aw! Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry I haven't updated lately, school's started and I'm falling behind in my writing, but I promise to work more on my story! Here's chapter 15!**

Chapter fifteen

Having to Worry

Thorn sighed and said, "I should get going, too, it'll take me three hours to get home, and when I do it will be dark."

Maken nodded, "Yeah, okay, but walk with me for a while, okay? At least until the stream."

Thorn agreed and they began to walk in the direction of the small creek, Maken looking toward the ground, seemingly thinking of what to say. Then after a long silence, he said, "Are you okay?"

Thorn looked up to him, slightly surprised by his question, "Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?"

Maken sighed, "Thorn, you may be able to hide your emotions, but they're not gone. Did what Melissa say hurt you? I mean, with what Cade said about you."

"Maken, she never told me what Cade said," Thorn looked up to him, "And even if she had, I wouldn't have cared. I know that people talk behind my back all the time."

Maken nodded, "Yes, but it must hurt you just a little bit."

"Not really, just annoying that he tells Melissa the little that he knows about me when he doesn't even know the half of it. But I'm to blame for that, perhaps if I'd tell you he wouldn't say anything. I know that he isn't very fond of me, so it doesn't hurt, in fact, I don't think I've ever felt emotional pain before, well, since I was five."

"Alright," Maken said with a sigh, then he said, "Cade doesn't hate you, you know."

Thorn nodded. "I know, but he doesn't really like me, either. Anyway, it doesn't matter, I can't change the way people feel about me." Then they reached the waters edge and Thorn turned to Maken. "Thanks for having me over, I'll be sure to visit again."

As she slung her leg over Shadow's back and placed Fang in front of her, Maken said, "You'd better, because I can't find where you live!"

Thorn smirked down to him as Sparkie cam to her shoulder. "No worries." Then Shadow ran along the bank, spread her mighty, feathered wings, and with a strong downward stroke and powerful push from the ground, she and her riders were air born, and Maken was shrinking away in the distance.

"Why is it," she asked Sparkie, "That I seem to constantly be telling people not to worry?"

Sparkie shrugged, well, either that or he was struck by another sudden tremor of laughter, then he said, "I dunno, maybe it's cause everyone is constantly worried about you."

Thorn slowly nodded, "Yes... They are."

The silence that followed loomed over the four of them. In the distance the sun was setting, casting a purple and pink glow over the tops of the clouds. The only sounds that could be heard were the wing beats that kept them in the sky, and Fang's calm, sleepy breathing. Then, after another long moment, Sparkie said, "And they have reason to be."

Thorn sighed. She had been hoping that he had dropped the subject, but there was no way to avoid the inevitable, "They don't have to worry."

"You want to believe that," Sparkie said, "But you know that they do. You know that for all we know you could suddenly drop dead, well, okay, first have some catastrophic event and then drop dead, but you get the point."

"I'm so happy that you're my optimistic side, Sparkie," Thorn said sarcastically.

About an hour later the sun had set entirely, and the sky was a deep blue, stars set in random order. The clouds under them ran out and they saw the beginning of their forest under them. Shadow began the slow decent and thirty minuets later they saw the well camouflaged stone house that Thorn lived within.

When Shadow landed, Thorn climbed down and took the sleeping dragon from her back. Sparkie had fallen to sleep on her shoulder during the long ride. As Thorn walked back to her house, and Shadow went to the forest, she couldn't help but think that she had to admit that Sparkie had been right. They did have to worry.

"Ah, there you are, Thorn," Severus said as she came in, he was sitting in his chair, reading a book, "I was getting-"

"Worried?" Thorn finished for him as she set Fang and Sparkie on her armchair. The two instantly curled together, Sparkie inside the small bundle of black scales.

Severus looked to her, and nodded slowly, "Yes..." He set his book down and turned to his niece fully, "What's bothering you?"

Thorn sighed as she leaned against the wall covering bookcase, "I'm tired of everyone worrying about me. You, Minerva, Albus, even Maken's worried, and he doesn't know why he should be."

Severus nodded slightly, then said, "What about Cade and Celestial, do they worry as well?"

She shook her head, "No, Cade doesn't care, and Celestial has more important things to worry about."

"Ah," Severus quietly murmured, then he said, "I can't help but worry, Thorn."

She sighed, "I know that. I guess I should get used to it, right? People are going to constantly worry about me, weather it's for my safety, sanity, or loyalty."

Her uncle nodded and sat back in his chair, "If only it weren't so, Thorn. Ever since Severa and Romulus died Cornelius Fudge," the name was said with distaste, "Is convinced that you're a blood thirsty murderer. Sadly, if you do one thing that might make him think that, you're looking at a sentence in Azkaban."

Thorn nodded. "I know, but even if I'm sentenced to a life there, I'm not going to be there a year. I'll find my way out, no doubt about it."

"There is no doubt in my mind that you would. I've always known that you can do anything."

Thorn forced a small laugh, "I can't do anything."

"You can do a lot more then others can," Severus persisted, "You can protect your mind better then anyone I know, you can pull your wand quicker then every student that I've ever seen. You can talk to your reptilian pets."

"I can kill others," Thorn added, "I can force them to feel more pain then they'd ever imagined, I can control their every move. Not everything that I can do is good."

Severus nodded, "Not everything that anyone can do is good."

Thorn chuckled sadly, "You're beginning to sound like Sparkie, always optimistic."

Severus smiled back, his expression unchanged, "Someone has to be, even if they find it hopeless themselves. Now, you should get to bed, tomorrow we have the first of the hardest tasks. Finding enough for Fang to eat and introducing him to the others."

Thorn nodded, "They'll accept him, true enough, but feeding him might prove to be difficult in the future." She took the dragon and daemon lizard into her arms again and carried them into her room. As she looked down on their sleeping forms, she felt a growing fondness in her heart, no doubt the same feeling that Severus had had when he looked down at her seemingly sleeping form eight years prior.

As she set Fang down next to her wall in her bed, and Sparkie next to him, the baby's words replayed in her head, _"Are you going to protect me?"_

The black dragon had been so afraid, probably still was, though he didn't act it, his words betrayed it. The poor child. A sudden protectiveness flowed through her mind. Like Severus, Sparkie, Maken, Cade, Celestial, and all her animals, she would die to protect Fang. But unlike all of them, she was going to raise Fang from a baby. Sure, Shadow had been a baby when they first met, but she had been raised by her mother and father. Somehow, Thorn felt like this youngster's foster mother.

Thorn shook her head and cleared herself of those emotions. "The last thing you need to do is wonder about your feelings, Rose," she told herself, "We don't want to give him a perfect window in."

In the morning Thorn awoke at her normal time and looked to her side to see Fang and Sparkie curled together. With a small smirk she stood and got dressed. Leaving the two reptiles in her room, Thorn walked into the kitchen and sat at the table across from Severus.

"Good morning," he said as she took her seat.

"Morning," she replied as she took the prophet into hand. She skimmed over the front page, but found nothing worth her time in reading.

Just as the sun's first rays hit the tops of the trees the baby Dragon walked groggily into the room, his violet eyes still half closed, the blue and red flop that was Sparkie was hunched over his back. He dragged himself under the table and curled up at Thorn's feet, laying his head, supported by his long black neck, on her knee.

"What are we going to feed him?" Severus asked as he stood to retrieve the post, for Hecate had landed at the window with two letters.

Thorn stroked Fang's cool, black scales and said, "Meat, any kind that we can get. I would recommend deer meat; the book said that that was the Hibridean Black's preferred food."

"How are we going to get deer meat?" Severus asked as he looked at the letters. He threw one to Thorn, who caught it with mild surprise, and opened the other one.

"Well," Thorn replied as she looked at the envelope, which had been sent by someone that she hadn't expected, Celestial, "There are a lot of deer in our forest, in fact, so many that Talon, Shadow, Shooter, Feather, and Fell are getting rather annoyed. I'm sure that Fell can catch one for him to eat today, and can help him with hunting in the future. We'll have to make sure that the population of the hunted doesn't drop too dramatically."

Severus's eyes left his message and he looked to Thorn and nodded, "That will do. I agree with them, the wonderful heard that we have is a bit of a nuisance."

Thorn smirked, "Alright then, when we're all more awake, I'll go see what we can do."

She stood, making Fang's head fall from her lap. He shook his head, with a low, annoyed hiss, and stood to follow her, Sparkie not budging an inch.

_Look at the bug? Isn't it nice? _Sparkie was thinking.

Thorn sighed and temporarily blocked him from her mind. When he woke, she would open his path again, but she didn't need to be bothered with his nonsense.

Fang followed Thorn around like a dog, except with much more intelligence then such. He was at her heels every time she turned. She didn't mind his persistence; after all, if she were his mother he would be doing the same thing.

When Sparkie woke a couple of hours later the sun had risen entirely, and was filtering through the tops of the forests trees. Thorn lead the two of them out into the forest and said, in a language that they could both understand, "Fang, this is where you'll be staying when you get too big for the house. Again, let me remind you of the importance of staying out of sight. Come on."

With that Thorn's body morphed into its tiger form and she knelt down to allow Fang to climb onto her striped back. Once the dragon was firmly planted, his claws digging gently into her fur, she began to walk through the forest, the tall trees hanging over them. Sparkie flew to Thorn's feline head and landed, his wings held high to make sure that they didn't block her sight or hearing.

The deeper they got into the forest, the more animal life they saw. Fang was introduced to small birds of many kinds, squirrels, and even his future food source. Eventually they reached their destination; a rather large river that was completely over hung with trees, so that from above none could see its existence.

Thorn changed back to her human state and looked around, but none of the others could be seen. With a loud whistle, and a mental call to Shadow they waited for the arrival of more magic beings.

The first to appear was Shooter, who came on the opposite side of the river. With a powerful leap he cleared the water in one bound, and came to meet the three of them.

Thorn smoothed her hand over the Unicorn's silky mane and whispered, "This is Fang." She lifted the young dragon and showed him to Shooter, hoping for the best.

Shooter's silvery eyes wandered over the baby dragon, a natural instinct to flee shone in his orbs, but as did a trust of his masters decisions. So, instead of doing what nature insisted, he lightly placed his forehead against Fang's and lowly neighed.

Thorn nodded and smiled lightly just as the sound of galloping surrounded them. Sparkie said, "Three creatures make their way by land, and another by air."

Thorn looked to the trees around them as three being made their way from them. The feathered head of Talon, and the other horse forms of Shadow and Feather. "Luckily for Fell, he's invisible to nearly everyone." Thorn muttered.

Then the bat like wings of the Thestral burst through the branches above with a shrill cry and landed right before them.

It took almost nothing to get the others used to Fang. Luckily for Thorn. When he was older, she needed them to watch out for him, and help him.

_Shadow, _Thorn said a while later, while Fang and Shooter played a game of hide and seek, Fang continually winning, _Could you do me a favor?_

The pegacorn looked to Thorn and nodded her black head, _Anything._

_Will you talk to Fell for me? I want him to hunt for Fang. Ask him if he could catch just a young deer for him. He needs to eat._

Shadow neighed, then thought, _Consider it done._ She left Thorn's side and was with the Thestral. Moments later the reptilian like horse had run off into the woods.

It didn't take long for Fell to return, carrying a small fawn in his jaws. He dropped the catch at Thorn's feet and bowed. Her lips slightly formed a small smile and she rubbed Fell's head. "Fang!" She called and the baby was instantly at her side. "Here, eat this."

Fang looked to the young deer's meat in front of him and his eyes shone an excited glimmer. He dove upon the fresh meal and began to rip it apart with his razor sharp teeth. He seemed almost irrational, wild. He was ravenous. _Well, _She thought to Sparkie, who was watching Fang and wondering where his calm, gentle dragon friend had gone, _He is a dragon, you must remember._

Sparkie nodded as he watched Fang shred and eat the young deer. Shooter watched him warily, every once in a while throwing back his head, fighting the desire to run. Feather paced, spreading her great grey wings momentarily, hoping to not have to take flight. Talon and Shadow both cast cautious glances back and forth, wondering if he was going to be a danger to them in the future. Fell, however, merely watched him; the ferocity with what he was eating not bothering him at all. He seemed to have an over whelming confidence that the dragon meant them no harm.

When every last bit of flesh had been peeled from the white bones of the fawn and nothing but the skeleton remained, Fang stood back, his thin, forked tongue darting in and out of his mouth to rid the blood from his jaws. Thorn looked down upon his small, no longer hungry form, and smirked. "Was that satisfying?"

Fang nodded and began to clean the blood from himself. Thorn continued, "When you're older, we'll teach you to hunt, Fell and I, but there are things about hunting that you must remember." Fang looked up to her and nodded once again, "You can not hunt any of these creatures. Alright? And you must stay in the trees. They are tall enough to conceal your adult form, so I don't want to see you flying about. When you fly, it will be with me, high, above the clouds, out of sight of muggles and other magic people."

Fang nodded for a third time and said, "I understand."

Thorn gave a curt nod and said, "Now, back to the house. Come on."


	16. Letters From Celestial

**Disclaimer: I own none of JKs people...**

**Author's Note: Okay, I'm trying to catch up with my writing, and I am writing more then I had been previously, so hold on! Now, onto the next chapter, but before I do so, I must comment on the review made by that who remained nameless. I agree that everyone's entitled to their oppinion, but I cannot believe that you would think that I would review to my own story. That repulses me. I also must dissagree on self-insertion. If you knew me in real life you would know that I am nothing like Thorn Rose or Sparkie, I only have the pen name I do so people will be able to identify my story to she who wrote it (aka, me). And I would also apreciate it if you would read the whole thing before you review on a single chapter. I thank you for your opinion! And NOW onto chapter sixteen!**

Chapter sixteen

Letters from Celestial

When they reached her home and entered Thorn went strait to her room, Fang and Sparkie followed and sat under her desk as she opened the letter from Celestial.

_Dear Thorn,_

_It's been a while since you've heard from me, I'm sorry that I haven't written any more to you then I have, Uncle Albus and I have been really busy, and I'm sure you know with what, since you're Professor Snape's niece. We're looking for another way to protect it, Uncle Albus knows what he wants, but we can't seem to find it, though he feels very close. _

_Next year is going to be quite interesting, wouldn't you say? I mean, with Harry Potter attending the school. Who'd have thought that we get to go to the same school as him? Seems odd, doesn't it? To know all about someone we truly know nothing about. _

_Well, I must get going; we're getting ready to head to Egypt! I'll write you later. See ya!_

_Celestial Moon_

Thorn reread the second paragraph. _"To know all about someone we truly know nothing about."_ Celestial really didn't know, did she? No one, but Severus and Albus, knew. Thorn did know all about Harry Potter. She knew that he'd been harassed by his cousin, aunt and uncle. She knew so much as she'd let herself, from how often she let his emotions and thoughts intertwine with hers.

Thorn folded the parchment back up and put it into her drawer. Then, pulling out some of her own parchment, the same parchment that Celestial had given her for Christmas, serpents curling up the sides, she began to write.

_Celestial,_

_It has been a while, and you from me. I suppose that both of us have been rather busy, you with your protection quest, and I because of a new addition to my little family. I'll trust you with this information, for I know that even if you tell Albus, it will make no difference, he won't do anything anyway. You've most likely heard of the crazed dragon that escaped not long ago. The truth about that whole thing is that the egg landed in my front yard and hatched yesterday. I'm raising an infant dragon. Don't worry, though, I can take care of him._

_Yes, we get to meet the famous Harry Potter. Wonderful. Honestly, he's going to have some first year; after all, he knows nothing of the magic world, seeing as his family has kept it hidden from him for so long, and everyone there knows him._

_Have fun in Egypt. Needless to say you will. Every other method of protection for it has been set up already; we just need the final defense. _

_Thorn Rose_

She sealed the letter and gave it to Midnight, who took it and flew out of her window and into the dark horizon.

Fang grew quickly over the next couple of weeks. Soon, he was the same size as Shadow and the others, yet he was still small enough to live inside. He didn't know how to breathe fire yet, but that would come within the first six months.

The day before Thorn's birthday, before Harry's birthday, she and Severus were outside with the animals. Shadow and Fell were flying around, and Fang was staring up at them, his large, wings spread open, prepared to take flight.

"Do you think that he'll be able to fly by tomorrow?" Severus asked suddenly.

Thorn nodded, "He should. He is a fast learner. He can catch his own food now, it's only time that he learns to fly."

The black dragon watched his friends circle above, watched the movements of their wings, everything that they did. Sparkie could sense that he didn't quite get it, though. The Daemon Lizard flew from Thorn's shoulder to his and said, in the tongue of the Hibridean Black, "What's wrong?"

Fang shifted, "I don't understand. I see what they're doing, but I don't get how they do it."

Sparkie looked up to Shadow and Fell, whom had looked to each other then back down to the pair of reptiles below. "What part don't you get?"

Fang shook his head, "I'm not sure. How do they get into the air? I've watched them, but they don't know how to explain it to me. Shadow's tried speaking through her mind, but she has a different, well, body build that I do. I'm a dragon, she's a pegacorn."

Sparkie nodded again, then he heard Thorn's voice echo clearly through his mind. _What is it? Is something wrong?_

Thorn watched as Sparkie and Fang talked, but they were too distant for her to make out their words. She did, however, catch that something was bothering Fang.

Sparkie looked back to her, then thought, _I can handle it. It's okay._ Thorn nodded to him, completely trusting his judgment, and he turned back to his friend.

"Alright," Sparkie started, "You have a closer body build to me then to them, so let me try to explain." He leapt off and let himself float down in front of the dragon. Fang bent his head down to watch him more closely. "Okay, the two things that make us different from the others are our weight and our tails."

"Weight?" Fang cut in, "But you must be light."

Sparkie laughed and said, "For _your _wings I would be light, but to carry my own weight is just as difficult as you carrying yours." When Fang nodded as to say that he understood, the red and blue lizard continued. "Now, the tail is what makes taking off more difficult for us. While in the air it comes in really handy, helps us direct ourselves and such, but taking off you have to keep it off of the ground, and make sure that you don't swing it, or you'll merely roll over inches from the ground, well, feet from the ground for you. See?" Then he began to take off, but made sure to swish his tail to the right, making him swerve to the left and roll over once, his wings wrapping around him, and fell back to the earth.

Fang nodded. "I see. What else must I do to take off?"

Sparkie took a minute to unravel himself from his wings and stood before Fang once again. "You have to kick off strong with your feet and powerfully stroke down with your wings. A light kick or weak stroke will get you no where, that's where the weight comes in. It will drag you down if you don't get a strong enough start."

Fang nodded again. "But don't the others have large weight too?"

Sparkie nodded, "Oh yes, but in contrast to ours its lighter. You're the same size as them, but if you're wings were on them it would take almost nothing to get them in the air. You're much heavier because of what you are. If _I _were their size it would be the same deal. It's a species thing," he concluded, waving it away. "Anyway, are you ready to start?"

Fang looked back to the sky, where Talon and Feather had joined the two others. Then he turned back to his small teacher and said, "Yes. You are coming with me right?"

Sparkie nodded, "Of course I will! Did you really think that I'd make you go up there alone?"

Fang grinned and then got ready to spring up. "If you leave me, Sparkie, I swear I'll kill you!"

Sparkie laughed and stood right next to his dragon friend, "If you can catch me!" Then both of them leapt up and pushed down strongly with their wings. The downdraft from Fang's made Sparkie thump right back to the ground no sooner then he'd been up. "HEY!" He called up to the dragon, who was clumsily making his way higher, "You cheated!"

Thorn smirked as she watched Sparkie fly right back up with Fang, flying circles around him, no doubt telling him how to direct himself. _Nice job, Sparkie. You did it._

_Did you have any doubts? _he replied, probably grinning down at her.

She shook her head, _No, but I bet everyone else did._

And then, just to prove her point, she heard Shadow think to him, _Wow! Sparkie! **You** taught Fang to fly? We're all quite amazed!_

In turn, she heard Sparkie shoot back, _Hey! I did a **lot** better then you did! _

She shook her head, the small smirk still across her face, when she heard Severus say, "Did Sparkie teach him to fly?" When she nodded he said, "Surprising."

"HEY!" Sparkie shouted down to them. Thorn may have been the only one that understood, but Severus got the general meaning of the high toned babbling, "I HEARD THAT!"

Severus chuckled and said, "Well, it's a good thing he can fly now. He can join us tomorrow."

Thorn looked up to him, her dark eyes looking over his face, but she could not read his expression. _Well, he was the one that taught me occlumency,_ she reminded herself, then asked, "Join us in what?"

Severus smirked curtly and said, "It is your birthday, and Jamie Wood has invited us to go up to her house then. Mr. Roran and his muggle friend will be there as well. I accepted so we'll be there tomorrow. You're leaving at six, as to arrive at nine, and I'll apperate sometime before then. I thought that you would like that."

Thorn continued to watch him, slightly surprised. Not only had Maken remembered when her birthday was, but he and his family had invited them up for it. And she was also surprised that Severus had decided to come along. He didn't like to be with other people very often, but he was willing to for Thorn.

"That's great," she stated, "But what do you mean Fang's joining us? He's an illegal dragon and Mr. Wood works at the ministry."

Severus nodded, "That's true, but Gary already knows of him." At Thorn's grave expression he added, "But he shan't tell Fudge. He's never been fond of the Minister, and he believes that you can handle raising a dragon. He doesn't want to see Fudge lock you in Azkaban for taking in an orphan."

Thorn nodded, relieved, and then asked, "How did he find out? Did Maken slip?"

Severus shook his head. "No, as you were leaving when you visited last Jamie came home and saw his on Shadow's back. You know as well as I that Maken can not lie, so when she questioned him, he had to tell her. It wasn't as if he were betraying your word."

Thorn nodded again, "Well, it's good to know that I can trust them around Fang."

Severus smirked just as a large golden owl landed on Thorn's shoulder. "Hey Kara," she whispered as she took the bird's note and package. "You seem tired, why don't you stay here a night?"

Kara sighed a thankful hoot and furrowed her head in her feathers, instantly falling asleep on Thorn's shoulder. Sparkie and Fang landed not far off, Sparkie smooth as silk and Fang nearly falling over himself. "Ah, you'll get it in time." Sparkie reassured him. Then he saw the golden ball of feathers on Thorn's shoulder and an angry glint appeared in his eyes. He spread his wings, prepared to defend _his_ Thorn, and began to fly off when he suddenly could fly no further and felt something on his tail, "Why that little- Fang! Lemme go!"

Fang snorted with a laugh, a small puff of smoke coming from his nostrils. "Sparkie, you gotta get over this!"

"Over what!?" Sparkie exclaimed, now on the earth, trying to push Fang's clawed foot from his long tail.

Fang chuckled, "Over your... jealousy issue."

"I do not have a jealousy issue!" the lizard insisted, now breathing fire on the dragon's foot, but being unsuccessful in getting it to budge. "Well duh!" he muttered to himself, "He's a dragon!"

"Oh, no, not at all," Fang said sarcastically, "Right now you're just trying to get to that owl to make friends." Sparkie glared at him, "Man, you gotta get used to it! No animal is going to, uh, _take your place_. You and Thorn have a mental connection!"

"Yeah?" Sparkie said as he lifted one of Fang's claws and tried to pull it away, "Well," he said with an exasperated sigh, "What about other humans? Can _they_ take my place?"

Fang laughed and said, "Well, depending on what kind of relationship she has with them. Like, if they're just a friend there's nothing to worry about, but if she gets a mate, he might take your place on how much she cares for them."

Sparkie froze and, with clenched teeth, he said in a tone of complete hatred, "Maken..."

Fang laughed again. "Maken? Maken!? You actually think that Thorn thinks of him in that way?"

Sparkie huffed and crossed his little arms over his chest. Then, as Fang dropped his guard, he grabbed his tail, whipped it out from under Fang's claws, leapt into the air with a, "Ha!" and sped to Thorn and Kara.

Just as he was about to knock the owl from her shoulder, Thorn turned abruptly and caught him in mid air. "Sparkie," she warned.

He smiled guiltily at her and shrunk under her gaze. "Kara's had a long trip; she'll be resting here for the night. If you do _anything_ to her, you will be punished, am I understood?"

Sparkie sighed, but nodded, and crawled into the pocket of her pants, his head and wings sticking out of it. "I can't wait till you wear your school robes again! Those pockets are so much bigger, much less constricting." He squirmed a bit.

Thorn rolled her eyes and said, "Well, tomorrow we're going to Maken's." Sparkie glared up to her, "So you'll have to behave yourself."

Sparkie sighed, "Fine..."

When inside and in her room Thorn set the brilliant golden owl on the perch in her room next to Midnight. The charcoal black owl looked sleepily up to Kara and hooted drowsily. Kara nodded and hooted back, then they both fell back to sleep. "See, Sparkie?" Thorn stated as she sat at her desk and the Daemon Lizard crawled from her constricting pocket and onto her shoulder. "They get along, why can't you?"

Sparkie rolled his eyes and flew to the dresser, watching over the entire room. Then Fang came in, bringing his large wings close to his body so he could fit through the door. He settled himself in the corner and laid down, his purple eyes wandering over everyone.

She opened the letter from Celestial first.

_Dear Thorn,_

_You have a dragon? I can't believe you! You know that it's illegal! And besides, dragons are completely untamable! Well, Uncle Albus says that because you can talk to them it might be possible for you, and we both wish you luck. I have no problems about you taking care of it, but I'm worried that it will take care of you! If you catch my drift. _

_According to my uncle Harry Potter has been living with his muggle aunt, uncle, and cousin. He has witches and wizards following him everywhere he is. Apparently its heck living with them, but the others can do nothing. Uncle Albus wants him to grow up as far from all the hassle of being the most well known wizard of his age. _

_Egypt was great, but now we're in China. Uncle Albus FINALLY knows were we're going to find this mirror thing, or whatever he's been saying. It's somewhere north of hear. Anyway, I know that it's your birthday soon (and I'm hoping that this reaches you before then at the least) and I picked something up for you here. It's in the package. I hope that Kara doesn't die delivering it! _

_Celestial_

Thorn nodded to Celestial, though her friend was miles away. "Harry Potter does have a hard time living with his family..."

"Hmm?" Sparkie asked, taking time away from his harsh glares at the golden bird to look to Thorn.

"Nothing, just talking to a piece of parchment," she said with a sigh. Not having Celestial, Maken, or Cade around had become rather odd. Since she met them she'd begun to talk more. Not like she hadn't talked to Severus, she enjoyed talking to him, but she did miss her friends.

"That's nice," Sparkie said blandly, obviously not having had listened to a word his friend had said.

"Sparkie, stop trying to kill Kara with a look," Thorn said with a sigh as she took her gift from Celestial into hand, "You are not a basilisk."

Sparkie made a small noise of annoyance and turned to face the wall. She heard Fang say, "Jealousy issue..."

"Shut up!" Sparkie replied as he flew to Thorn's bed and hid in the covers. Fang snickered.

Thorn turned her attention back to small, wrapped package. Carefully taking the orange paper from it she opened the box and took out the little red rod. It was about three inches long, and at the top there was the head of a Chinese Fireball. The base would fit in her hand entirely, only exposing the head of the dragon; its eyes were emerald colored gems. A small note fell from it. Thorn picked it up and read.

_Thorn,_

_This is a Chinese Danger Detector. When you hold it in your hand and there is danger near the eyes will glow. It only glows when something near is dangerous to the holder. For example, you could hold it and I'm betting that it won't activate, despite the dragon, but if I held it it would glow. Fang would be classified as dangerous to me, but not you. Get it? Uncle Albus told me that you would like it. He said that it would come in handy, but he wouldn't tell me what he meant._

_Celestial_

Thorn held the slender part of the scarlet rock and looked at the Fireball's head. The eyes remained shine less. "She was right," she commented to Fang, who looked up to her, "You are no danger to me."

Fang smiled, "Of course I'm no danger to you! Now Sparkie, I might be a danger to, if he doesn't get over his issues."

Sparkie muttered something in another reptilian language, making it so Fang couldn't understand him. Thorn however caught his words. "Nice, Sparkie," she replied in the same tongue, "Use foul language in another language so that he won't understand."

"Keeps me safe," Sparkie answered and he hid under her pillow.

Thorn nodded and took out her quill, etching her words onto a piece of parchment.

_Celestial,_

_I don't worry about Fang. He may be a dragon, but I raised him from an egg and could speak. Without communication nothing would work. _

_Harry Potter will be much happier at Hogwarts then where he is. He'll probably never actually meet us unless he is sorted into one of our houses, which generally means that he'll get to meet you, Maken, and Cade. I'd bet Sparkie that he'll get into Gryffindor. Don't tell the jealous-crazed lizard that I said that. _

_China must be fun. I hope you find what you're looking for soon. Thank you for the gift. I agree with Albus, it will come in handy. Tomorrow is my birthday. Maken invited us up to his house so for once I'll have a birthday with a group of people. Hopefully you'll be back by the end of the summer and will get to meet Cade's friend. She's a muggle and she and Cade seem to be getting rather close. Sparkie and Maken were having a bit too much fun making them feel uncomfortable. Well, I must get going. _

_Thorn Rose_

Sealing the letter she went over to Midnight, shaking her softly. The black owl hooted in an annoyance and looked up to Thorn, her great golden eyes now fully awake after sleeping the whole day. "Midnight, I need you to take this to Celestial." She tied the envelope to her leg and brought her to the window. "I'll send Kara in the morning, she needs rest."

Midnight nodded, playfully pecked at Thorn's hand, and flew into the dimming sky.

Thorn turned back to her room and walked to her dresser. After changing into her nightclothes she went back to her bed. Fang followed her and climbed onto her bed as well. Sparkie came to her side and Fang was against the wall. It was rather crowded, but since Thorn and Fang didn't move there was no problem. Fang's wing spread over them as an extra blanket and his tail wrapped around them. Thorn fell to sleep instantly, dreamless as always.


	17. First Real Birthday

**Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda... I own nothing but the prevoisly mentioned... don't sue.**

**Author's Note: Aye! I'm so sory guys! Its been forever since I've posted a new chapter! This, like the last, is more of a filler chapter, not as important as some of the others, yet you still gotta look for forshadowing in them! I hope you like it!**

Chapter Seventeen

First Real Birthday

Thorn woke up at her regular time and crawled out from her nest of reptiles, leaving Fang and Sparkie to sleep in peace. When she was clothed she walked into the kitchen, where Severus was reading the paper.

After about an hour Fang and Sparkie were up. "You have to get going soon," Severus mentioned as he took a drink from his goblet. "As I said yesterday, you'll arrive near to nine."

Thorn nodded. "Yes, I'll be taking Shadow again, and Fang will fly by my side. I just hope that he doesn't need to rest. If anything to slow us down happens, I'll send Sparkie ahead."

Severus nodded and not even five minutes later he and Thorn were in the yard with shadow, getting her ready for the trip. "As I've said before, be careful."

Thorn nodded as she mounted the pegacorn and said, "I will." Then, turning to Fang, she hissed, "Are you ready?"

The dragon nodded and replied, "As long as Sparkie's gonna help me!"

Sparkie smiled, "I will, its okay."

Thorn wrapped one arm over Severus's shoulder from where she was and he put one of his around her side. "Happy Birthday, Thorn." he said.

She smirked. "Thank you." Then she thought to Shadow, _Let's go._

She neighed and raised her wings. Next to her Fang and Sparkie each got prepared to take off as well. She ran a few yards and brought her wings down and was airborne. Thorn looked behind to see Fang and Sparkie not far off. As she's said before, dragons were fast learners. Soon he was flying as if he'd flown all his life. "How're you feeling, Fang?" Thorn called over the wind.

"Excellent!" He roared back. Sparkie began to fly circles around them, showing off his speed. They flew the whole way without worry. When they were no longer above the trees they flew into the clouds. Sparkie and Fang continually raced each other to the nearest clump of cumulus or cirrus. Sparkie always won, but Fang wouldn't give up.

"There's Maken's house," Thorn called to the reptiles. Sparkie was running from Fang as the dragon tried to catch up. Then they both went into a dive, racing to the house.

Shadow threw back her head and joined them in the game. Her wings beat rapidly, her feet tucked close to her body as to not slow her down, and her head strait with her body. Thorn wrapped her hands securely in her mane and pressed herself against the pegacorn's body.

Soon she had over taken Fang and was gaining on Sparkie. The blue and red form turned to a blue and red blur as he saw his closest followers. As they got closer to the ground Thorn saw the Woods and Severus standing outside the house.

Just as Sparkie was about to hit the ground he pulled up and glided a foot from the ground, landing at Severus's feet. He threw himself onto the Potions Master's leg and hugged him. Severus sighed but smiled down to the little reptile, Jamie giggled, Gary laughed loudly, and Maken said, rather uneasily because he was talking to a teacher as if he were a family friend, "I'm sorry you live with him."

Thorn and Shadow landed not long afterwards. She trotted up to the others and Thorn dismounted as they reached them. "Thorn!" Maken said as he ran to meet her. Maken was a rather hands on friend and he looked as if he were trying not to hug her. "Happy birthday! So, where's Fang?"

"Thanks. He's right there," his Slytherin friend said as she pointed to the sky and Fang landed next to her.

Maken's eyes widened and he took a startled step backwards. Yet before he could back up all the way Thorn grabbed his arm and pulled him forwards again. "He's gotten quite big, hasn't he?"

Maken nodded, still speechless. Thorn's nails slowly slid from his skin and she stepped behind him as he and Fang faced each other. "Hey," Maken said quietly, Fang lowered his head, his violet eyes meeting Maken's grey ones. "D'you remember me?"

When Fang nodded Maken seemed taken aback. "He... He understood me!"

Thorn smirked and nodded, "Yes, he's started understanding some of our language. Of course, he'll never completely understand, but he'll know a lot."

Maken chuckled and said, "That'll come in handy." Then he turned to Thorn and said, "Anyway, c'mon inside! Say hi to everyone else! Mom's been so happy to have you over again!"

Thorn smiled slightly and said, "Alright." She and Maken began to walk back to the house, Fang and Shadow following behind. Sparkie detached himself from Severus's leg and flew to Thorn's shoulder.

Jamie Wood came running to them and embraced Thorn tightly. Thorn held her back lightly. "It's good to have you back!" she said as she let Thorn go. "It seems like it's been ages!"

Maken sighed, "Mum, it's only been a year."

Jamie smiled warmly, "Well, it seems like so much more. Maken, dear, why don't you show Thorn the addition we made to the back?"

He nodded and said, "C'mon! It's so cool!" He grabbed Thorn's wrist and ran to the back, Fang and Shadow followed. Sparkie flew after them.

She didn't even try to get away from Maken; she knew that when something made him happy you couldn't get out of his grasp. Sparkie always said that that was one of the many reasons that he pitied who ever became his girlfriend.

As soon as they got there Thorn noticed the new area. In the center of the grass field was an ovular area cut off by a fence. Inside the fence was a small Quidditch pitch. There was a trunk that was shaking violently at the entrance to the field. Thorn figured that there were Quidditch balls in there.

Maken smiled ecstatically. "Isn't it cool!?" He continued to pull her forwards and into the fenced off area. Finally letting her wrist go, he said, "Dad put this enchantment on it so the snitch and bludgers won't get out. It's bloody awesome that he works in the gaming department of the Ministry. Ludo Bagman helped us get this all here. Oliver is gonna be so happy when he gets home!"

Thorn smirked as Fang, Sparkie, and Shadow flew into the pitch as well. "Didn't Oliver become Quidditch captain of the Gryffindor team last year?"

Maken nodded, "Yeah, he couldn't stop talking about it! He was driving the others insane! Alicia Spinet, Angelina Johnson, and Katie Bell were out of their minds, and the Weasley twins wanted to stuff him into a broom closet somewhere. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they did." He shrugged and said, "Anyway, yeah, I can't wait for Oliver to get back! He'll be back a week before school starts."

Thorn nodded, "Well, I'll come up again, probably just a few days before school. I think Celestial might be back by then too."

"Cool," Maken said as he looked fondly over the Quidditch field in his backyard. "Well," he said a little while later with a sigh, "We should get back. Cade should be here soon."

"Is Melissa accompanying him again?" Thorn asked calmly as she and Maken made their way towards the gate.

Maken nodded. "Yep. I'm not sure, but from what I've heard from Cade, he really likes her."

Sparkie snickered and said, "That was obvious last time he came."

As they reached the house Tyler Roran's green pickup began to drive away, leaving Cade and Melissa to walk to the house. Much to Maken's and Sparkie's pleasure, the two preteens were holding hands, their fingers laced.

"He's got it commin' good!" Maken said with a laugh. Sparkie nodded vigorously, and, for the first time in his life, flew to Maken's shoulder as the he sprinted to the pair.

"The only thing," Fang growled to Thorn, whom turned to look at him, "That he'll join Maken in is mocking others like Cade and Melissa."

Thorn nodded, "And that's the only thing that he'll ever join him in."

Fang chuckled, "At least until he gets over his jealousy issue."

She smirked, "Whenever that may be. He does need to stop thinking that Maken's a threat to him"

The dragon shrugged. In the distance Cade was holding one hand above Maken's head as he tightly gripped Melissa's. Maken was on the ground rolling in laughter, and Melissa had a few clumps of hair floating around her head, obviously an invisible Sparkie's doing.

When the group finally reached them Sparkie had released the muggle girl's hair and was laughing on Maken's shoulder. Maken, too, was cracking up. Both Cade and Melissa were beat red and seemed annoyed. "That was NOT funny, Maken!" Cade practically shouted.

Maken took a deep breath after a rather violent bit of laughter, and said, "No, no, you're right." He snorted as a new laugh appeared and said, "It was HILARIOUS!"

Sparkie was practically dying on Maken's shoulder, one of his little claws on his chest, trying to regulate his breathing, while the other three were tightly gripping Maken's red tank top.

Melissa ran a hand through her hair and looked up to Thorn, her face still a deep crimson. "Oh, hi Thorn!" She said, her voice a bit higher then it had been. "How've you been?"

The Slytherin shrugged, "Fine. How have you two been?" Cade and Melissa turned even darker red, if that was possible, and Thorn said, "It's a good thing that _Mel_," she emphasized on Cade's nickname for her, "Doesn't attend Hogwarts. I wouldn't want Severus to _have _to patrol the rose bushes." She loved inheriting Severus's snide comments.

And, of course, this one sent Maken and Sparkie into a seizure, and Thorn received angry and embarrassed glares from Cade and Melissa. After the lizard and Gryffindor stopped laughing they went into the house. Fang and Shadow stayed behind in the field.

"Ah! Cade! Melissa," Mr. Wood said as he placed an arm around each of them. By how scarlet their faces were Thorn figured that Gary was another of the doubtless many whom mocked them. She could also grasp that from the look on Maken's face, his eyes bright, grin even larger then it had been.

"This is gonna be good!" she heard him whisper to Sparkie. The lizard snickered and the two of them watched Gary Wood intently.

"How're my two love-birds today?" he chuckled loudly as Cade and Melissa shrank in embarrassment and wandered to the table, where Severus and Jamie were sitting. They sat next to each other and kept their eyes downcast, not meeting the gaze of anyone else.

Maken snorted with laughter and Sparkie nearly fell off of his shoulder. Severus chuckled and Thorn smirked as she sat down next to him. "Miss Harris, I presume?" he muttered.

She nodded, "The one and only."

When Maken finally joined them at the table he was still laughing and kept saying stuff like, "Love-birds," and, "Rose bushes." Sparkie cracking up every time he said something.

Cade glared up to him, and, finally regaining his voice, he said, "Stuff it, Maken..."

"So, Severus," Gary said as he waved his wand and made a chair appear. Sitting in it, he continued, "How has your summer been? Anything interesting, aside from Fang, happen?"

The Potion's professor shook his head, "No, our summer has been rather uneventful. The school year, however, is going to be more interesting. Fang and the others will be staying in the forest. The trees will conceal him, true enough, yet I'm concerned how the centaurs will take to him."

Thorn nodded, "Luckily I didn't run into any last year, but I have a feeling that it is inevitable that I will this one. They do not mind creatures that are native to their trees, but a dragon might be thought of as a threat."

Gary nodded, "Indeed it would."

There was a short silence as Jamie brought in small sandwiches. Then she said, "Cade, why don't you introduce your friend to Professor Snape."

Cade looked up to her, his eyes pleading, but when she gave no indication to having been joking, he sighed and said, "Ahem... uh, well, yeah. Mel...issa, this is Professor Snape. He teaches Potions."

Severus smirked and Maken, who had suppressed a laugh at Cade's close catch, said, "Maybe he should brew you two a love potion. After how this day's going you're gonna need it!"

Thorn smirked again though she knew that Severus would not make a love potion for anyone, regardless of who they were. Sparkie was laughing his hardest yet, and was now trying to keep air in his lungs.

"Maken," Gary said as he suppressed a laugh of his own, "Why don't you go get Thorn her gift?"

Cade suddenly looked up from the table, his eyes wide, yet still thankful for the change of subject. "Gift?" he said, startled, "Wait, is it your birthday?" he asked Thorn. When she nodded he ran one of his hands through his spiked hair, "Oh crap! I forgot! I'm sorry!"

She smirked, "It's quite alright, Cade."

Maken, still laughing, walked into his bedroom and came back out with a box wrapped in green paper. Sparkie settled himself on Severus's shoulder, trying to regain himself. The Potions Master didn't seem too happy about the lizard clinging to his robes, but he resisted the urge to flick him off and watched as Maken set the present in front of Thorn.

She tore the paper from it and opened the brown box. Inside was a book, the cover a rich black and gold lettering spelling out, _Hebridean Black: A Guide. _She flipped through the pages, looking over the pictures. They were excellent in detail. "Thank you, this shall come in very handy."

Maken grinned, "I thought that it would, with Fang and all."

Thorn nodded. "Indeed."

Maken smiled, "Why don't we go outside? It's a nice day."

Cade and Melissa nodded and stood. Thorn followed swiftly after, Sparkie, stomach painful from his continuous laughter, flew to her shoulder. Giving a curt nod to Severus and getting one in return, she walked out into the field.

She smirked as she set foot outdoors. Melissa was giggling as wolf Maken ran from husky Cade. Sparkie, now that the teasing was over, stayed with Thorn as she walked to the muggle.

"That's so cool!" Melissa was saying as she reached her.

"What?" Thorn asked mildly, "The idea of Cade killing Maken?" Sparkie snickered.

Melissa shook her head, laughing, "No, the idea of them changing into animals! That's amazing!"

Thorn nodded, "Yes, but it takes a lot of practice, and effort."

Melissa, for the first time in five minuets, looked to her, "Can you change into an animal, too?"

Thorn nodded, "Yes, I can." With that she morphed into her black tiger form and looked up to Melissa. Sparkie climbed to her back as Fang and Shadow flew to them.

Melissa smiled and brought her hand out, as if preparing to touch Thorn's huge head, but when Sparkie's eyes narrowed and he flexed his claws she pulled it back. "Oh, my God, I wish I could do that..."

"THORN!" Both girls turned to the howl from Maken to see the white wolf sprinting away from the charcoal husky. In one swift bound he leapt over Thorn's large body and turned to take refuge behind her. "Help!"

Thorn looked back to him and then turned to see Cade trotting up, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, panting. Wolves could run much faster then domesticated dogs, luckily for Maken.

When the dog reached them he said, "Move, Thorn!" Of course, it was in a playful attitude.

Maken shook his canine head vigorously, "No! Don't! He'll hurt me!" Maken grinned over the large felines back to Cade.

Thorn stayed where she was and rolled her eyes. When Cade noticed that she wasn't going to move, he backed up, his tail high, and prepared to pounce.

Springing from the grass he leapt clean over her, yet as he was doing so, Maken had crawled underneath her and was on the opposite side of his friend again. Melissa laughed.

"Damn you, Maken!" he growled.

The snowy wolf smiled. "Haha."

Thorn changed back and watched as Maken and Cade did the same. Cade, still looking rather annoyed, began to walk towards Maken, who, in turn, darted behind Thorn again, a small, cocky smile on his face, giving Cade the 'just try to hurt me now!' look. Sparkie glared at him, but did nothing else.

Cade scowled and walked over to Melissa instead. The muggle was giving him a _very_ flirtatious smile, something neither Sparkie nor Maken missed. Both of them snickered inaudibly as Cade turned a light shade of pink and smiled back.

Maken turned to Thorn and raised his eyebrows. She nodded in turn and both began to walk off towards the stream, Fang and Shadow by their sides, and Sparkie in the air above them.

"Hey!" Cade called a few minutes later, "Wait for us!"

Maken snickered and said, "Too busy staring at each other to notice."

Sparkie nodded vigorously and looked behind them as Cade and Melissa came up. "Why didn't you wait?" Cade asked as he fell into step in between Maken and Shadow. Melissa was next to him.

"Well..." Maken said quietly, probably making sure that he had time to sprint off. "We didn't want to... interrupt." He grinned to his pointy-haired friend.

Cade, his face red from both anger and embarrassment, looked as if he wished nothing more than to be able to wrap his hands around Maken's throat and strangle the life from him. Sparkie later admitted to having felt that same way a few times.

Maken laughed and darted to Thorn's other side again, while Melissa took Cade's hand to stop him from following suit. This made him forget his anger almost instantly and he turned to Melissa, an odd look in his eyes.

"Oh!" Maken murmured to Thorn, sure to let Cade hear him, "Here it comes! The big kiss scene!"

Sparkie snickered and watched Cade. _His eye twitched! _he exclaimed to Thorn, _It did! Ooh he's mad now!_

Thorn smirked as Cade turned from Melissa, eyes glowing dangerously. _Yes he is, _she concurred.

He held in his anger, however, and continued walking. Maken looked to him, then turned to Thorn and said, "Crap... He's plotting revenge..."

Sparkie's eyes suddenly glowed and he looked to the ground in thought. Thorn rolled her eyes, "Oh great, you just gave Sparkie an idea..."

Maken looked annoyed with himself, "If he tries _one_ thing, he'll be lizard soup!"

Sparkie glared up to him and used a rude gesture; Thorn rolled her eyes again, "Sparkie!" she hissed, "Behave yourself! And no hurting Maken, not now, nor in the future!"

Sparkie went into another pout and, seeing as Thorn's pockets were too small, he darted behind her veil of midnight hair, his blue and red wings sticking out from under it. Thorn smirked to the only part of him that she could see, his tail, which was slung over her shoulder, twitching in annoyance.

Maken sighed. "Insane little bugger," he muttered. Sparkie's tail went stiff and he poked his head in between Thorn's hair and neck, giving Maken the 'If only looks could kill' glare.

The two shook their heads and walked faster to catch up to the pair ahead of them. The couple was whispering, and as soon as the Gryffindor and Slytherin got close enough they were silent.

Thorn cocked a brow. "What was that about?" she muttered to Maken.

Maken shook his head, "No clue."

"Hey, guys!" Melissa said as Thorn, Maken, Sparkie, Shadow, and Fang came up next to them, "We didn't know if you'd ever catch up!"

Cade nodded, "Yeah, we thought that perhaps you were... _busy_."

Thorn and Maken just stared at him, eyebrows raised, arms crossed over their chests. "Cade," Maken stated slowly, "Thorn and I are not, and will never be, more then friends. Am I understood?"

Cade nodded and sighed. "Just give up, Cade," Thorn said, "It's a fruitless battle. Maken and I do not like each other in that way. That's like me liking a brother, or him liking a sister. It's not right. Plus, the only person you're hurting is Sparkie."

They all looked to the blue and red lizard, whose head was visible through Thorn's hair again; his left eye was twitching and had a maniacal look to it. His tail was vibrating vigorously and he seemed to be shaking with anger.

"Issues, I tell you," Fang muttered. Sparkie's insane glare transferred from Cade to the dragon.

"Fang," Sparkie growled through clenched teeth, "If I were five hundred times bigger I'd kill you!"

Fang tilted his head slightly, "What? You wouldn't kill Cade for saying what he did? And you wouldn't kill Maken for being alive?"

With an angry, high pitched scream, Sparkie jumped onto Fang's long neck, wrapping his wings and tail around it. With all the strength that he could muster he tightened his grip. "If you start to have trouble breathing," Sparkie grunted, seeming like he was the one that wasn't getting enough air, "Just tell me!"

Fang glanced to the small lizard, then to Thorn, looking completely unphased by his new neckwear. When they finally reached the stream Sparkie was still attached to Fang's black neck. Everyone, save for Thorn, was laughing about it by now. "Any time now!" Sparkie huffed as they sat by the water.

Maken laughed, "Still thinks that he'll be able to take on a dragon, does he?"

Thorn slowly nodded, "Sadly, yes."

Melissa giggled, "I think it's cute."

Sparkie suddenly froze dead, eyes wide, and looked to Melissa. "Cute?" He muttered. Then he instantly released Fang and climbed to Thorn's shoulder. "I'm not gonna do anything that she finds... _cute_."

Thorn smirked and began to swish the water with her right hand. There was silence for a little while; everyone seemed to be lost in their own little world. Maken was looking fondly at the Quidditch pitch, which could be seen in the distance. Cade and Melissa kept glancing at each other, smiling. Thorn herself was looking into the water, watching as the slow moving liquid swirled around her fingers. Sparkie was sitting on Thorn's shoulder, watching the clouds go by. Then someone spoke.

"Want to go play Quidditch?" Of course it was Maken who had said this, and now he was watching his friends, awaiting their answers.

Cade took his eyes from Melissa for the first time in minutes and smiled. "Sure, we've got nothing better to do."

The auburn haired muggle nodded, "Uh, okay... But, er, what's a Quidditch?"

Without looking up from the waters surface, Thorn said, "A wizarding sport."

Yet this answer didn't seem to make any more sense to Melissa, for she merely nodded and said, "Uh, okay..."

Maken smiled. "Come on!" He leapt to his feet and pulled Thorn to hers. Cade and Melissa followed suit. Shadow and Fang stood as well and followed behind Thorn. When they reached the pitch Maken ran to the mini broom closet and pulled three comet two-sixties from it.

He handed one of the brooms to Cade and another to Thorn, which surprised even her. When he saw the slightly startled look on her face he laughed. "What? Think that I wasn't gonna let you play?"

Thorn shook her head with a smirk. "No, but you know that I'm not Quidditch's biggest fan."

Maken smiled. "True, but I know that you know that I know that you're not that bad at Quidditch." His brow furrowed as if trying to figure out if what he said had made sense.

Sparkie, too, seemed to be wondering about that. _Did that make any sense to you? _

Thorn smirked, "That is true." Then to Sparkie, _Yes._

_That's so sad... _the lizard continued with a sigh.

Maken smiled. "Great! Then let's go!"

He mounted his broom and kicked off into the air. Cade followed him almost immediately. Thorn followed at a slower pace. After all, she preferred her flying animals to a broomstick. When she did get into the sky she was proven to be quite a good flyer, yet not like Maken whom was darting around like he was a bird.

He flew to the ground and tossed Thorn a small bat. "Thorn, you'll be the beater."

She caught it and gave her friend a skeptical look. "I'm a what?" She new perfectly well what a beater was, but why did she have to be the beater?

"A beater," Maken repeated, "Cade, you'll be the chaser, I'll be the keeper." He looked around, as if searching for someone else. "Well... we don't have a seeker..."

Sparkie smiled. "I'll do it!"

Yet Maken couldn't understand him, so he gave the reptile a mean look, no doubt figuring that he'd said something insulting. Sparkie shrank under the stern look.

"He wants to be the seeker," Thorn clarified.

Maken looked to her, "Oh, well, yeah, fine, but if he damages the snitch he's dead."

Sparkie rolled his eyes, "If he damages the snitch he's dead," he said in a mocking tone while he put his hands on his hips, quite unlike Maken.

Thorn smirked as Maken sighed and said, "Well, I'm releasing the balls! We'll only use one bludger. Get ready, go!"

He threw the quaffle into Cade's hands and unleashed the snitch. Then he hit the latch on one of the bludger holders and the large black ball flew into the arena.

Thorn heard Melissa cheer from the ground as she sped towards the flying mass of the bludger, which was making its way towards Sparkie, who was chasing the little golden snitch, tongue hanging from his mouth as he concentrated on his mark.

With a swift swish of her arm and the bat she smacked the bludger away from the lizard. The sudden movement startled the little guy, making him loose track on his goal.

"Crap," he muttered as he darted after it again.

Thorn smirked and looked around to see where the bludger had gone to now. It was racing towards Maken and Cade, who were gathered around one of the goal areas. She nodded and sped up. She reached it right before it struck Cade in the side and hit it away.

"Hey, thanks!" He said as he realized what she'd done. Melissa clapped from the ground.

Maken smiled as he caught another ball that Cade tried to get into the middle ring. "Haha, Cade, you can't get past me."

Cade laughed, "Not yet I can't!"

Then a shrill screech turned all of their attention to the other side of the field. Sparkie was flying as fast as he could with the bludger on his tail. He was the only player over there, so the bludger was trying to get him. "THORN!"

She rolled her eyes and flew the length of the field as fast as she could. When she got there the bludger changed direction suddenly and came at her. She hit it away forcefully and it flew towards the ground.

"Oh shit!" she heard Cade exclaim as he saw the bludger's new path. It was headed right for the ball chest.

Sparkie shook his head, "This can't be good."

Indeed it wasn't. When the ball hit the chest it unlatched the second bludger holder, casting the second one into the air. Both of them came at Thorn and Sparkie. Her face set in concentration as she tried to avoid both of them. Sparkie was attached to her shoulder, holding a death grip to her shirt and skin. Then one of them sped towards Maken and Cade. She followed swiftly, avoiding the other one which kept making zigzag paths to her. Right as one of them was about to strike Maken she knocked it out of the air. Taking an odd spin in the air she doubled back and smashed the other one.

_The bad thing about having less players, _she thought to Sparkie as she stopped one from crashing into Cade's back, _There aren't as many targets for the bludgers to strike._

_And one bad thing about bludgers, _Sparkie replied, _You can never predict them like you can a human or animal, they have no reason._

Then, as if to prove his point, Thorn felt something come into contact with her back, making her fly forwards off of her broom. _No you can't._

She felt the air swish by her body. She felt Sparkie unlatch his claws from her skin and take to the air and heard him call her name. She also heard Melissa scream and Maken call out, "Thorn, watch out!"

Despite her low altitude she crashed down hard. She stood, the pain that would normally flow through anyone else's body missing from hers. Luckily.

Yet the bludger that had struck her had decided to follow her down. As it came nearer she stood still, at the ready. When it got to her it came right into her stomach, where she caught it. The other was in the air still, and, when it came towards Maken, he made a very impressive airborne catch.

Though she felt no pain the air was still knocked from her lungs. She felt the unfamiliar feeling of breathlessness and took an awkward step backwards. Her head began to swim, yet soon the oxygen flowed back into her lungs and she took full realization on what was happening.

"Thorn!" About three people, and one lizard, shouted that at once. She also heard the worried roars from Fang and the unmistakable whinnies that came from Shadow, whom were both anxiously waiting outside the pit. Maken flew to her side instantly, holding the black ball tightly. "Are you okay!?"

She smirked and nodded, "Of course."

Cade shook his head in disbelief as Melissa quickly made her way over to them. "How," he asked, "Do you do that?"

Melissa nodded, just catching what he'd said. "How can you remain unhurt after that fall? I mean I could almost hear your body crack when you hit the ground!"

Thorn smiled as she and the others began to walk towards the ball chest. "It's just that it takes a lot to hurt me." She placed the bludger into its holder and let Maken through to do the same. Sparkie, who had somehow managed to catch the snitch within the few seconds after Thorn's fall, handed the little gold ball to Maken.

Cade nodded, "We could tell! I mean, hell, after that fell I wouldn't be walking."

Melissa nodded, "But we're happy that you're okay."

Maken nodded too, "Yeah, you are sure that you're okay, right?"

Thorn nodded, "I am, don't worry about me."

Just then Severus and Gary came running out, the Potions Master's robes flowing gently behind him. "Thorn!" He ran to her side instantly and took her shoulders into his hands, looking over her, "What happened? You took quite a nasty fall."

Thorn smirked, "I'm okay, Severus." She put her hands on his forearms to reassure him.

Gary's worried expression was replaced with a joyous one. "That's great, but whew! That was some skill you showed up there! All of you! Maken," his son smiled widely, "You did excellent! Nothing got by you did it?"

Maken shook his head, "No, Dad."

"Great!" Gary smacked his shoulder proudly, "I've got two excellent players for sons!"

Severus smirked, "Indeed. Thorn, we should be on our way home, it will be dark by the time you get there if you start now."

Thorn nodded obediently, "Alright, I'll head back now." She turned to Maken, Cade, and Melissa and said, "Well, thanks for having me over, and thanks for the gift, it will come in really handy."

He smiled, "You're welcome, I knew it would."

She smirked and climbed onto Shadow, ignoring the worried thoughts that whipped at the edge of her mind. Fang lowly growled to her as well, expressing his own thoughts. "Bye guys, I'll see you at home, Severus." Then she lowly clicked her tongue and thought to the black Pegacorn, _C'mon, let's go._

Shadow spread her midnight wings and they were airborne, Sparkie flying above.

_Thorn, _Shadow thought no sooner then they'd been above the blanket of white cumulus and stratus,_ Are you okay? You fell hard! Fang and I could hear you hit!_

The Slytherin nodded, _Yes, I am. I do not feel pain, remember? It will be okay. _

_You may be immune to pain, _Shadow commented, _But you can still die of mortal injury, weather you feel the pain of it or not. In fact, you're painless body might be a great weakness. You will never be able to tell if you are mortally wounded, for you won't feel the pain of it. _

Thorn looked musingly at the white forms around her, as if for the first time realizing this, _You're right, that could indeed be a big problem. Yet Sparkie may be able to tell if something's wrong. _She called Sparkie down from his heights. He immediately came to her call, a startled expression on his face.

"Is something wrong?" he asked anxiously.

Thorn shook her head in reassurance and said, "Sparkie, you're practically part of me, can you tell if something is seriously wrong?"

The little lizard seemed slightly confused, "Like, with your mind?"

She shook her head, "No, my body."

He shook his head, "Not unless it's painfully obvious, like, ya know, a huge gash across your face or a missing limb. Or if it causes some huge emotion. And if it hurts you, but that one will be hard to happen, so its unlikely."

Thorn sighed, "So, if I have internal injury and am not in pain you can't help me figure it out?" Sparkie shook his head and Thorn sighed again. "Well, let's hope that never happens."

Fang nodded, for Sparkie and Thorn had been talking in his language for his sake, "Yes, if that does happen I will hunt down the fool who harmed you and tear him limb from limb!"

Sparkie laughed, "And so will I! You know, if I'm not already dead..." Fang chuckled.

Thorn, however, wasn't even smirking. Her dark eyes were set forward, deep in thought, black orbs shining with a sudden thought. The depths to which her thoughts penetrated seemed to startle Sparkie, who could hear her musings. He climbed down in front of her on Shadow, his eyes trying to catch her gaze. He couldn't succeed. "Thorn, don't worry, no one will hurt you that bad."

She shook her head slowly, "We can't know that for sure." She sighed and smirked at Sparkie, trying to reassure him that she was okay. He didn't buy it. "It's just as Celestial had said, remember?" The Daemon lizard shook his head and Thorn continued, "That day during Christmas break. 'The future holds mystery for everyone, no one's is set for them.' She's right, yet I will not let that stop me, or scare me."

Then everything went silent, the sky turning from a bright blue to a mixture of reds and pinks. The sun was barely visible over the horizon, the clouds below and above them blocking most of the star out. After more silence the coloring of the heavens changed once again, to a benevolent navy.

When they arrived home Severus was waiting outside, holding a letter in his hands, his expression grave. Thorn walked up to him, Fang at her side, Sparkie on her shoulder, her features expressing slight curiosity. "What is it?"

He sighed, and ran a hand through his shoulder length black veil. "Nothing good for us."


	18. An Unwelcome Visit

**Disclaimer: I own Sparkie, and Thorn... thats it... don't sue. **

**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was kinda late... my computer erased half of it as I wrote... I was soooo mad. Anywho, here's chapter eighteen of Thorn Rose!**

Chapter Eighteen

An Unwelcome Visit

Thorn and Severus went into the front room of their gloomy, yet somehow comforting house. Sparkie and Fang were in Thorn's room, waiting for her to come back. She hadn't wanted to worry the little lizard with whatever news the letter had to bring. He was very easily angered or worried in matters of Thorn. At that moment she was blocking him from her mind, making sure that he didn't know what was going on. Sitting in her chair, the Slytherin watched her uncle intently.

"They want to make sure that you're following all of the requirements that they've set for you," he finally said, "The minister and his secretary are going to be here, along with a few aurors, for his protection, I'd say." He sighed, "They're also going to search the house and area around it. Apparently someone has dropped a rumor that there is an illegal animal within our midst."

Thorn sighed and shook her head. "Which one?" she asked sarcastically with a hint of scorn in her voice. "I've got two. Fang, the illegal _maniacal _dragon, and Shadow, the illegal breeding crossover." She dipped her head down. "When will they be here?"

"They're coming mid August, about a week before the beginning of the school year. We're going to have to conceal those two by that time, the others are already registered under your name, we do not have to worry about them."

With a curt nod Thorn said, "Who do you think started the rumor?"

Severus's lips turned to a small snarl, "Probably Fudge himself. Either him or that foul secretary of his. They know that the dragon went missing around here and used that fact to make an opportunity to get you into trouble. I would be amazed if they had the brain capacity to think of that, though."

After a moment of silence Thorn spoke again. "By that time Fang will be near to fully grown. He'll be even harder to hide. How are we going to get him out of the way?"

Severus thought it over, his cold dark eyes deep as he pondered what they could do. It seemed hopeless. Finally he sighed, "I don't know."

Thorn looked out the small slit that was a window near the ceiling and her brow furrowed in thought. "There has to be a way. Nothing is impossible, not for me at least." She stood and began to pace the room in her ponderings. She would have come up with something by then had not a small inkling of anger appeared in her mind. _How dare they think that I've been using the curses! I've never used them since that night. Well, except for when I uses the_ _Crucaitus curse to immune myself, but that was ages ago! _She was not expecting an answer from Sparkie this time, for she'd blocked him from her mind for the moment.

Then she stopped right in front of her uncle who was watching her with interest. "Well," she began, ridding herself of her anger, "We could use a shrinking spell or potion and hide them in the house or forest. I'm not sure how well that would work, though."

Severus thought about that as well. "It might work, yet they cannot be in the house. That's two risky. And another variable that we must consider is that Fang will be of a large size by then, and he will not shrink as small as we'd like, probably only the size of a young horse. Shadow will be smaller than a house cat, however, and easier to hide."

Thorn nodded, "We could keep Shadow in the forest, hide her beneath the ground, she knows to keep her magic hidden. We could even keep Fang with her, if we dig deep enough, and if he understands the fact that he must keep quiet and under control."

Severus sighed, "That might be hard to make a fully grown dragon comprehend. If they find him you know what they'll do."

A small scowl crossed itself onto her lips, "They'll sentence me to Azkaban, never to let me see the light of day, nor to experience fresh air." The disgusted look shrank away from her face as she cleared herself again and nodded. "It's the best thing that we can do, we'll go for it."

"We've got a lot at stake, yet I trust your judgment. I know that you will keep yourself safe." He stood and made way for his room. "I know that you can accomplish this."

Thorn nodded, "I know I can, too." She also stood and walked towards her bedroom. "Goodnight, Severus."

"Goodnight, Thorn."

"THEY'RE GONNA DO WHAT!?" Sparkie exclaimed as Thorn told him and Fang what was going on. The Dragon snorted angrily in agreement. "You mean that little... little... DUNDERHEAD, is looking for an excuse to throw you into Azkaban!? Over my dead and rotting body! I swear, he's got it commin' good—"

Sparkie was pacing angrily on Thorn's bed, wings crossed over his shoulders like a cloak. He was going on and on about what an outrage this was, and how if he ever met Fudge in a dark alley no one would ever meet him again. Every now and again he would throw his arms into the air and let loose a small flame onto the stone floor, where it would whither and die almost immediately.

"—the nerve! I'm more wizard then he'll ever be and I'm not even human!" Fang nodded and agreed with the raging lizard every so often, giving him an, "Of course!" or a, "Yeah!"

Thorn, however, was going through one of her thousand books. _The World's Most Difficult Potions_; the book that Maken had gotten her for Christmas the past year. Somewhere within its pages were the ingredients to the complex potion for shrinking. She'd known that this novel would come in handy one day.

"When I finely get to see this guy he's gonna regret the day that he decided to mess with us!"

It took her almost no time at all to find the potion that she'd been searching for, and read over the ingredients. It was probably one of the easier potions within this book's pages. The supplies were easy enough to find and the brewing would be simple, yet it would be ready the exact day of the inspection. There was absolutely no room for mistake. If they failed in this it was all futile. To use a shrinking spell would make the minister suspicious. He had to see nothing but spells made for occlumency come forth from her wand.

"—and then I'll shred the shreds, and burn those shreds—"

"Sparkie," Thorn stopped his rant, "It's time for bed. Don't worry, we have the way to keep them hidden, we won't be sent to Azkaban just yet. Now, its time for bed."

The following week and a half seemed to drag on everyone's mind. Thorn and Severus practiced her occlumency as usual and worked on the potion. Sparkie bad mouthed the minister every chance that he got. Shadow and the others searched the forest for a good place to keep she and Fang hidden and Fang himself grew, a lot. Soon he was no longer able to stay in the house, and had to keep his head down to keep it from penetrating through the top of the forest. Luckily for everyone, he'd not yet learned to breathe fire.

On the eve of the inspection Thorn was deep within the forest, manually digging the hole in which Shadow and Fang would keep hidden. She would have used her magic, but at the moment to use any spells could stand for disaster. This was one of those times when she was thankful that her body was in good shape, for the shovel against the hard earth was barely a fair fight.

Fang lowered his huge head down next to her, the whole of which could easily outweigh Thorn's entire body. "Can I help?" he lowly hissed through his teeth.

Thorn looked up to him and shook her head, "No, Fang. The very last thing we need right now is claw marks showing where you've hidden." She pushed the blade into the earth again and heaved another large portion out. "Severus is inside, working on the potion. When he's done with that and I've gotten this hole dug, he's going to set an invisible barrier over the top to keep the earth off of you two." Fang nodded just as Sparkie came whizzing into view.

"Just twelve more hours until that little... guy is here..." he muttered in disgust as he climbed into the hole and pushed large mounts of soil out with his wings and little claws. He continued to say nonsense things under his breath; every so often they would hear something like "Evil man," or "Kill him..."

They continued to work for about another hour, finally getting deep enough in to keep the later horse sized Fang and cat sized Shadow within. Hopefully the minister and his workers would fail to catch the magic scent. Thorn climbed out of the now rather large ditch in her forest, slapping her hands together to get the stray dirt off, and brushing the brown dust from her black clothing. "Let's hope that this will work." Then she walked back into the house to find Severus.

He was in the kitchen, standing over a large cauldron that was filled to the brim with a grayish blue liquid. He tossed some yellow powder in and watched as it changed to a light green. He looked up as Thorn entered and said, "Now we let it simmer over night, then the drought shall be finished. We will end up using all of it for both of them, which leaves out the possibility of them finding any bit of it left to suspect."

His niece nodded. "That's good. It makes less room for mistake." Severus nodded and they waited for the next day to come, hoping that their plan would work.

The dawn of the next day was their alarm clock. They had few hours until the minister would arrive and they had to make sure that the potion was successful. Thorn let Severus do that as she changed into her nicest set of robes instead of merely wearing her regular tank top and pants. She had to look at least semi-formal for the minister and his secretary. Sparkie was grooming himself, getting stray dirt off of his scales. Yet he seemed not to be making any progress, so he went into the bathroom, filled the tub with warm water, and created his own cleaning pool.

Making sure that her amulet was still on and in good condition, Thorn stepped from her chamber and into the front room while she brought a brush through her long hair. Her face was untainted by make-up, though she didn't need it. She had an odd look to her that made her pretty without the feminine skin care products. Taffy Trelawney had once been caught admitting that she was second best in their year, only to Thorn. Yet she also said that Thorn's beauty came from evil origin, and that it was a cover for her normal, demonic self.

Sparkie joined her in the kitchen after a while, his blue scales shining from the dampness that still clung to them. His red webbing to his wings was also gleaming in the wetness. "Is the evil man here yet?" he hissed.

Thorn shook her head. "No." Severus was sitting at the cauldron in the kitchen, the brewing now completed. He shifted a portion of the concoction into a smaller container. Handing the smaller one to Thorn he said, "That is Shadow's share. Bring it to her." Then he muttered "_Wingardium Leviosa_," and levitated the cauldron out into the yard.

Thorn followed after, carefully carrying the small bowl to make sure that she didn't spill any. When they got outside she placed it on the grass and whistled to Shadow and Fang. They were there within seconds and waiting for her instruction. "Okay, Fang, that's yours." She pointed to the large cauldron. Then she turned to Shadow and thought, _Shadow, this one's yours._ Thorn gestured towards the bowl.

The pegacorn whinnied and dipped her mouth into the grayish greenish liquid and lapped every last bit of it up. Fang took the cauldron into his front claws and dumped the lot of it into his jaws. The two humans and the lizard all watched, waiting for the potion to take effect, or for it to poison the two of them. Yet soon enough their bodies began to shrink. Soon they were far smaller than they regularly were, Fang about the same size that he had been merely weeks ago and Shadow so small that she looked like one of Maken's old toys.

Thorn nodded and said, "Severus, we must hurry, Fudge will be here soon and I want to make sure that everything is in order." I picked up Shadow and Fang trotted behind us briskly as we sped to the little hole that they'd dug for them. She carefully set Shadow within and Fang leapt in as well. Luckily for them there was moving room, not much, but still. "Fang, Shadow, keep yourselves quiet. If they find you nothing good will come of it. Do you understand?" The both nodded. "Alright, good, we'll be back."

While walking back Thorn asked, "How long does the potion last?"

Severus looked to her then said, "Exactly twelve hours. Fudge should not be here that long."

When they got back to their home they barely had time to make sure that everything was in order. Merely fifteen minutes after they closed the door a loud knock echoed through the stone house. Severus was there instantly and opened the door. Standing before him was Cornelius Fudge himself, his bowler placed upon his head as always. Standing behind him was a short, squat woman, with a rather vulgar appearance.

"Ah, minister, welcome." Severus moved aside to allow them entrance. To his great relief it seemed that they had not brought aurors after all.

Keeping the forced smile that he hoped was welcoming; Severus led them into the den, where he had previously created a small couch across from his and Thorn's chairs. Thorn was sitting in hers, patiently awaiting their arrival. Severus gestured for them to sit down upon the couch and he sat in his chair next to Thorn.

After a moment of silence—that must have been unnerving for the minister, for he frequently cleared his throat—he finally spoke. "Ahem, Professor Snape, Miss Rose, I presume that you know why we are here..."

_Yeah, _Sparkie thought to Thorn, _To try to ruin our lives! I gotta Thank him for that..._ Thorn smirked slightly, yet let the minister continue.

"Allow me to introduce my personal secretary. This is Ms. Delores Umbridge." The squat woman smiled to them. Sparkie glanced out of Thorn's pocket and instantly dove back in. _She looks like a big, fat, ugly toad! _He whispered the thought to Thorn and she had to agree. "She's one of my most loyal employees and when I told her that I was planning on visiting you two she relished the idea of being able to meet Thorn Rose—"

"The girl who escaped?" Thorn finished for him. He looked to her, his fearful eyes trying, and failing, to look as if he hadn't the slightest idea of what she was talking about. The Umbridge woman, however, watched Thorn with mounting curiosity. Thorn stared back at her, empty black eyes showing a slight hint of anger. "You did want to lock me in Azkaban eight years ago. I'd wager the same now."

Umbridge's lips curled upwards in a smile that was supposed to be encouraging. "Dear child," she said, her voice an annoying high tone, one that did not match her appearance at all, "The minister merely wants to protect the wizarding community. You, my dear, have been named a threat to society."

_Sure, _Sparkie thought angrily with a hint of sarcasm, _Everyone who makes a mistake like this is a threat to society. It's only because of the things that your parents and Severus have done that make you more 'dangerous.' _Thorn nodded silently.

The foul, toad-like woman smiled wider and continued. "Now, dear, I need to see your wand, please. We are going to check what spells you have done since the beginning of this last school year." She held her chubby hand forward, the many rings looking as if they were cutting off circulation. Thorn only stared at her face, however. "Child," Umbridge said impatiently, the sweetness in her voice beginning to falter, "We don't have all day."

Reluctantly, Thorn placed the dark ebony in the squat woman's fingers. "Yeah, neither do we." As Umbridge snatched it away and she continued. "Be careful. That wand was my mothers."

She grinned in a sinister way to the Slytherin. "Well then I guess that gives me a reason not to be careful." Thorn's already angry eyes glared dangerously as she let her hand fall back to her side. White fingers grasped cold, black cloth, as she watched the secretary go through spells that her wand had cast. Usually the welcoming wood would have been held in her death grip, yet as the precious item was in this foul woman's chubby hands the hem of her robe would have to do.

Severus watched Umbridge as well, his eyes showing just as much anger and concern as his niece's. He was poised on the edge of his seat, prepared, just in case Fudge's assistant decided to harm his sister's old wand. Yet what could he do if she did anything? Attack her for doing no physical harm to either him or Thorn? No, so he merely watched, and waited, to see if the toad-like woman would really damage the wand.

About an hour later—it had taken a great deal of time to make sure that a simple invisibility spell was not something unforgivable—the squat woman's face distorted in anger. Thorn smirked. She had obviously been waiting for the trustful ebony to reveal an unhidden secret. Yet no sooner had the furious look come onto her face that it was replaced by that false, cheerful disposition. "Well, that's done!" she said through clenched teeth.

Thorn's grip loosened in relief and she held her hand forward to take back her heirloom. When her fingers were just within grasping distance the secretary noticed her advancing hand and snapped the wood away. "Oh no, my dear," she murmured sweetly, "You will get your wand back, but not until the end of the inspection. After all, you have been named a threat to society, and daresay you still are, we wouldn't want to endanger the minister, now would we?"

Thorn just stared at her, her eyes expertly masking the rising fury behind them. Her hand dropped back to her side and clutched the cloth again. _Don't want to endanger the minister? _she repeated to Sparkie angrily. _I don't need my wand to kill him! I can do it with my bare hands! _

Sparkie poked his head out of her pocket discretely as he heard her anger. His dark eyes watched her with worry. This was by far the most angry that he had ever seen her... Yet, as always, soon that anger had dispelled itself and she was relatively calm again. They both knew what the consequences of such unmarked fury could result in, and neither of them wanted that to happen...

And Thorn was not the only one angry. Severus, too, was livid. His face was set sternly into an unconcerned expression yet inwardly he was fuming. A vein in his temple was throbbing slightly, and that was the only thing that would give away his outraged mind.

Thorn sighed deeply and glanced at Fudge. He was watching Umbridge smugly, his arms crossed over his chest, bowler atop his head perfectly as ever._ I want to rip that freaking thing right from his scalp! _Sparkie muttered in her mind. She rolled her eyes slightly at his arrogant attitude. When he was brought down she was going to laugh long and hard, for her at least.

Yet her eye rolling had not gone unnoticed. "Dear child!" the foul creature scolded, "How dare you show such a disrespectful gesture towards your minister! Apologize this instant!" The man in the bowler looked to the youthful Slytherin, obviously having been unaware of her motion.

Thorn's cold glare moved onto Umbridge's less appealing face. "Well, Dolores," she said curtly, briskly amused at the fuming redness that had risen into her cheeks. "I would show Cornelius respect had he ever shown me even the slightest bit of human compassion. He acts as if I will just leap up and strike out at anything living. Dolores," she said again, "I am just as human as you are, in fact, I'm more human than you are... You look more like a toad than a woman."

Sparkie cheered. _Whoo, yeah! That was great! You deserve a medal for that one! _Thorn smirked. Not only had she just seriously insulted the toad-demon, yet she had also shown the most disrespect for her than anyone had ever previously done. To use the first name of your superior in direct conversation with them was almost always thought of as rude, some exceptions made for Thorn, for she constantly would directly name the teachers at the school, having known them so long.

Severus smirked and proudly crossed his arms over his chest. Thorn was doing quite well, she had even showed the utmost mockery for these two ministry figures. She never ceased to amaze him. Fudge's face was a rich purple color as he suppressed the rage that must have built up in his smaller-that-dirt heart. Umbridge's eyes glinted maliciously and she seemed to want nothing more than to whip out her wand and curse Thorn herself. That little fact made Thorn chuckle inwardly.

"Well," Umbridge muttered, "I never... Now! Back onto business! We need to reconnoiter the surrounding area." She smirked, "Now, you will be under my watchful eyes... and no talking while we search. Professor Snape?" she turned to the potions master. "You have no need to accompany us."

He shook his head. Preposterous! Leave these two alone with his unarmed niece? He thought not. She was well protected, having numerous magical creatures to aid her if things turn ill-fated, yet he would still feel better if he was with her. Besides, being alone with that foul woman could be enough to kill anyone. "No, I think I shall come, you might need my guidance around the area."

Umbridge's face contorted foully. "No, professor, it is not required that you come—"

"It's not required that I stay, either," Severus pointed out coldly. The secretary didn't fight against him after that. The minister led the way through the forest, Thorn after him, her hand clutching cloth within her pocket, Dolores following her, and Severus in the back. Sparkie was within Thorn's pocket, standing on her white hand.

"Now, child," Umbridge said after at least two hours of trudging through the trees. "Where are you pets? I know that you have at least four, counting that one that the oaf had gotten you for Christmas." Thorn's eyes flashed dangerously for a second. Hagrid was no oaf... He was related to her, in some distant way, her father's uncle, she believed. But the point was, that Rubius was no moron... Sparkie had to fight of the impulse to claw the fat woman's eyes out...

"My animals," Thorn said calmly, "Are in another part of the wood."

Umbridge's eyes seemed to bug out at this, "What!?" she demanded shrilly, "Well, why hadn't you directed us in the correct direction!?"

Thorn stared blankly up to her, "Answer me something first... How could I have done that when I was told to be silent during the exploration of the perimeter?"

Now the secretary looked as if she wanted nothing more than to see Thorn at the mercy of the dementors. "Don't get snide with me!" She exclaimed as she began to take charge, grabbing Thorn by the arm, digging pink-painted nails into the girl's flesh. Obviously hours of aimless wandering had begun to plant a slight seed of insanity in her mind. She pulled her ahead, forcing her to the front, her nails beginning to draw blood. Severus instinctively took hold of his wand at the sight of the beads or redness under the pink polish. "Show me the way!"

It somewhat surprised Thorn how quickly the change in character could occur in someone such as Dolores Umbridge. One minute she was a happy camper, and the next she was trying to tear your arm from its socket. She ripped her arm from the toad's grip, causing vivid red welts to stain her right forearm. She felt Sparkie compulsively twitch in her pocket and ran her left hand over his thin form. "This way," she said monotonously as she led them to the main part of the forest that the creatures dwelled within.

She took them through the over hanging branches to the thickest part of the woodland, where her dark eyes scanned the shadows to catch a glimpse of the four legal beings within their depths. Nothing, well, not yet. They would eventually come. After another half an hour of fighting through the foliage, Umbridge began to complain rather loudly. "You're leading us in circles! I saw that same tree five minutes ago! What are you trying to pull here, Rose?"

_Ooh, _Sparkie muttered in her mind, _Someone's not too happy, now is she? And where the heck did that 'I'm a nice person, don't hate me because I lie,' voice go?_

Thorn shook her head, _I have no clue, probably the same place that her looks did. _Sparkie snickered at her dry wit and she spoke to the whining secretary. "Every tree in my wood looks the same, and if I were leading you in circles there would be a fine trodden path under our feet." Umbridge's face turned purple with built up anger, and Thorn silently smirked to herself.

Then the fluttering of wings caught their ears and the trees above them rustled as the thestral, Fell, landed in front of them. Dolores screamed at the commotion of the forest around her, for she could not see the reptilian horse, and clutched onto Thorn's shoulders, as if using her as a personal shield. "What's happening, child? Tell me!"

Severus rolled his eyes as Fudge, too, became fidgety. "It's a thestral," the potions master confirmed as Thorn shrugged Umbridge's ring clad hands from her shoulders. "You can't see them unless you've witnessed death."

At this a snide smile came across Dolores's lips. "Witnessed death, yes. _I_ haven't seen such a such an occasion. It doesn't surprise me that this little... family... has."

Sparkie jerked again and he began to try to fight his way through to the hem of Thorn's pocket. "Lemme at her!" he hissed to Thorn as she held his tail, causing the three others to look to the mass of moving cloth, "I'll kill her! I swear I will! That's the final straw!"

"What's that?" Umbridge shrieked, this time leaping behind one of the trees, snagging, and ripping, her robe on a low, and I mean really low, branch.

Thorn sighed and pulled Sparkie free. He was flapping his red wings vigorously, and clawing angrily at the air as he desperately tried to get to the offender. He looked nothing short of rabid as he fought futilely against Thorn's firm grip. "This," she said acidly, "Is Sparkie, and congratulations." The secretary looked petrified, "You just made him mad."

She screeched again. "Put that thing away!" she demanded angrily. "Put it away!"

Thorn's wicked smirk appeared once again as she considered releasing the thin blue tail. Yet, as that would result in very bad consequences, she calmed the lizard through her mind and replaced him in her dark pocket. After the toad-human had recomposed herself she stormed up into Thorn's face, a few inches shorter than the tall second year, "How dare you!" She scolded, "You have endangered the life of a ministry worker! I will see to it that you are locked away forever, mark my words!"

"More correctly," Severus put in coldly, "She saved the life of a ministry worker." The insane glare turned its attention to the professor. "Had she released Sparkie, who knows what he would have done. He may be small, mind you, but he is fierce. If you dare try to place her into Azkaban for such an act I swear to you, you will not last long in your high position."

_Its times like these, _Sparkie thought to Thorn, his voice a forced calm, _That I really **really** love Severus and Albus._ Thorn agreed.

Umbridge breathed harshly, still pointing an accusatory finger at the Slytherin. She looked to Fudge, then dropped her hand and let the false jovial look replace itself into her features. "Well, no need for that! Now, I believe that this inspection is almost finished, we must first see the remainder of your creatures, Miss Rose."

Thorn nodded and let a shrill whistle escape her lips. No sooner than she's taken another breath the white form of Shooter sped towards them, and the sounds of wings were heard over head. Feather and Talon landed next to Fell, who quietly conveyed to each of them the recent occurrences. Shooter skidded to a halt on Severus's left side, neighing lowly his resentment at the two ahead of him.

It was not long later that Umbridge, Fudge, Thorn, and Severus were back at the house, the Minister and his secretary making way for the door. "Well, thank you!" Cornelius said with a jolly wave. "Good luck, next year, Thorn!" She gave him an empty smile as Sparkie took the liberty to slam the door after them.

"Good riddance..." he muttered.


	19. The Kiss, the Kid, and the Elf

**Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Harry Potter. Mikey Corvin is owned by a friend off of Fanfic, as is the elven girl. And the poem/riddle thingy is the one in the first book. Not mine either**

**Author's Note: Yay! Almost back at the school! Next chapter they will be, I promise. **

Chapter Nineteen

The Kiss, the Kid, and the Elf

About a week later, after Shadow and Fang were returned to normal size, Thorn had received a message, not by the normal post, but by an annoyed Sparkie. "Thorn!" the reptile whimpered, "Maken's in my head again!" She smirked as he perched himself onto her knee, as she sat on her black bed. Behind his eyes she saw the familiar glint of _Sparkify_. "Hello, Maken."

"Hey," he replied through the disgruntled lizard, "I'm not even going to ask what he just said… Anyways, I got word from Celestial! She's back and wanted to see us. I invited her over tomorrow, do you think that you could come, too? Cade and Melissa will be there. Those two are really starting to scare me. He couldn't come over a while back because he was busy… He wouldn't tell me with what but I wasn't gonna ask…" Thorn chuckled. She could just see Maken shudder when he said those words. "Anyway, can you make it?"

"Yes, I'll come," she concluded. "Severus won't mind. Tomorrow is the last day of summer, too, so we can go pick up our things in Diagon Alley as well."

"Alright! I'll see you then!" Then she heard the faint muttering of "I have seen—" and the glow left Sparkie's black orbs.

He muttered and flew to her dresser. "Why do I have to be used for that spell? Why not Midnight?" The black owl sent him a deadly glare.

"Because," Thorn stated as she picked up her pillow and tossed it at him, "You're constantly with me." Sparkie squeaked as he was struck by the fluffy black cloth. "And you would be jealous if I gave anyone else that power." He glared at her from beneath the dark mass.

"Okay… fine," he admitted, still angry at the mention of his new least favorite word, "But why'd you have to give it to Maken!?"

Thorn rolled her eyes, "Why shouldn't I?" Sparkie seemed at a loss of how to answer her and she gave a weak laugh, "I thought so. You have no logical reason for your hatred of Maken." The lizard crossed his little arms over his chest and gilded under her bed.

The next day, Thorn awoke at her normal, dawn time, and went through her morning ritual. At around nine o'clock she got ready to head to Maken's. This time she was taking a different means of transportation. She was to go by way of dragon. Fang was large enough, and could easily carry her weight, so she decided that it was high time that he bore the body of another.

After receiving the usual be careful talk, she, Sparkie, and Fang were on their way, flying over the trees below. Fang was now too large to keep up with Sparkie when the lizard went his fastest, yet the plus side to that was that Sparkie had to leap ten feet to keep up with one of his steps. That made the whole thing a little more bearable. Thorn was seated quaintly upon Fang's neck, on top of a thick hide as to protect herself from the sharp ridges that ran along his spine.

It was truly more fantastic than riding on the back of one of the others. His large, black, webbed wings forced the air down so fluently it was almost as if one stroke could take them for miles, which it could. Sparkie darted around them like a bee and its hive, in and out of view quicker than the eye could see. Thorn would quietly scold him for showing off to the dragon.

It didn't take them as long when they went by dragon, a mere two hours from the usual three, so Thorn was there an hour ahead of schedule, at eleven. Fang landed in the Quidditch Pitch and promised his 'mother' that he would remain there. The Slytherin walked up to the house, the small blue and red lizard perched upon her shoulder. As the young girl got to the door she almost walked into the house without knocking. She was so unaccustomed to having to knock on this door…

After she did the oak was swung open to reveal a tired looking, half clothed Maken standing in the doorway. He was in his boxers only, rubbing an eye with one fist. "Hello—Oh my god! Thorn!?" He dove behind the doorframe to hide himself. "What are you doing here so early!?"

She rolled her eyes as Sparkie growled under his wing. "I rode Fang, he's faster, and stop being so fidgety. I've seen you without pants on before, remember? I practically lived here for nine years."

Then a woman's voice could be heard in the background. "Maken? Who is it?"

Maken sighed, "Its Thorn, Mum!"

Then Jamie came from the living room and sped to embrace Thorn like her daughter. "Oh! It's so great to see you again, darling!" Then she turned to Maken and smiled, "What did I tell you, honey? You should have got dressed the twelfth time I told you." Maken rolled his eyes, still trying to keep himself behind the door as Thorn walked into the entry. Then he ran up the stares, slammed the door, and the sound of drawers sliding open could be heard.

Thorn smirked and followed Jamie to the kitchen, where she sat across from Oliver. He looked up to her nervously and turned his attention back onto the sports section that he was reading. "Mornin' Thorn," he said blandly.

She nodded, "Good day." He looked up to her again, and quickly back down. She watched him for a while, his nervous actions continuing. _What's up with the older Wood son? _Sparkie asked calmly. _He's acting like he's just seen Voldemort. _

Thorn shrugged, _He's practically looking at him right now, but he doesn't know that…_ She looked to the lizard on her shoulder, _Does he?_

Sparkie shrugged. _I dunno… he could, I mean, if his parents told him, but they promised Severus they wouldn't, and I trust them. _Thorn nodded. Perhaps it was only her attitude.

The door opened and Gary came into the room happily. "Thorn! I haven't seen you for, what? A month?" He laughed and Thorn chuckled. "Well, good to have you back!"

The Slytherin smiled. "Good to be back," she turned back to the door as fully clothed Maken came in. He was wearing baggy blue jeans and a loose fitting white tank top.

"Celestial should be here soon," he said as he ran a hand through his bowl cut. "She said around eleven thirty.

Thorn nodded. "It'll be good to see her again." He nodded in agreement and they went to wait outside. As they stepped out the door, Sparkie caught Oliver giving them a suspicious look…

The wind whipped by them as they sat on the grass. Sparkie was chasing dandelion seeds around, desperately trying to gather enough to shove down Maken's shirt. He was failing. Maken laid back on the soft blades and sighed. "It's such a good day… to bad we gotta go back to school tomorrow."

Thorn smirked down to her friend. "Yes…" she muttered, "Another year, another nine months of living with Antonette, Dreara, and Phillis. Not to mention all the boys in my year." She looked down at Maken, his eyes full of concern for his best friend. "It's alright, though, because I have Severus, you, Celestial," Sparkie made a hurt noise from the dandelion field, "And Sparkie. I'll be alright."

His eyes glowed dangerously, "If they even try to hurt you they'll be seein' the light of day through their—" But his sentence was cut short, for a voice from a ways away caught their ears.

"Maken!" the burnet called, waving her arm in the air. "Thorn!" Both the Slytherin and the Gryffindor smirked and stood as Celestial ran the rest of the way to them. She gripped both of them in a death hug at the same time, her arms around their necks. "Dear lord, how I've missed you two! And Cade! Where is our pointy-headed friend?"

Maken laughed, "Pointy-headed? That's new, but not untrue. He'll be here soon. He and his… friend." Maken chuckled, and Sparkie, as he climbed to Thorn's shoulder, snickered.

Celestial looked to the winged lizard and said, "Oh, does Sparkie like Maken now?" It was only obvious to everyone who knew Thorn and her Sparkie that there was tension between the lizard and wizard.

Maken snorted, "Yeah right. He's only my friend when it involves making fun of _Mel_ and Cade." Sparkie nodded vigorously, "See?"

Celestial laughed, "Well, better than hating you all the time, then isn't it?" Maken shrugged an agreement. "Anyways, I've been so bored without you guys! Oh, but don't get me wrong, traveling the world was fun, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't!"

Thorn nodded, "Indeed. Well, it seems that you'll get to see Cade soon." She pointed to a green pickup making its way down the dirt road. As Cade and Melissa made their way towards them Sparkie and Maken snickered. _Fingers laced again… lovebirds. _Thorn rolled her eyes.

"Oh!" Celestial said softly, "Someone's gotten a tad close, eh?" Maken and Sparkie nodded. "Well! I'll go over and introduce myself!" Then she ran forwards and embraced both of them as she had done Maken and Thorn.

Maken sighed, "She must have missed us… Trying to kill us with love." Thorn nodded.

When the group of three got to the two of them, Thorn and Maken led the way inside, Sparkie clicking his claws together menacingly. Cade and Melissa walked slightly behind the three of them, muttering quietly together. Sparkie and Maken snickered.

The Gryffindor led them to his room, which was a jumbled mess from how quickly he'd dressed that morning. Thorn sat against the wall, where she had the previous visit. Maken sat in his desk chair, and Celestial took a seat next to Melissa, who was besides Cade on the bed. "So," Celestial said, "How have all of you been doing?"

Maken shrugged, "Fine, nothing interesting ever happens around here…"

Celestial smiled, "That's fine, what about you two?" she asked the two next to her. They both went beat red. Sparkie and Maken snickered.

"Er…" Cade started uneasily, then he continued, "Fine, just fine. Normal stuff…" Melissa nodded. "What about you, Thorn?"

She looked up to him and then to the others. "Just Severus and me, and Sparkie. Yesterday we had a visit from the ministry, no big deal."

Maken sighed. "Dad had heard something about that… He said that they had caught a rumor about you owning an illegal animal." Thorn nodded and he continued. "Did they find either of them?"

She shook her head. "No. We kept them hidden. They had tried though. They were determined to find an excuse to…" she paused. "Expel me." Sparkie rolled his eyes at her bold faced lie. They didn't want her out of the school… They wanted her into the prison.

Maken sighed. "It's always seemed to me that they hate you… Well, at least the minister does. Dad's not too fond of his boss… I've asked them why he does, but he wouldn't tell me…" He gave Thorn a questioning look, practically saying, 'If you know I want you to tell me.'

But yet again Thorn lied skillfully through her teeth. "No, I do not. Probably my bloodline." Maken gave her a knowing look, his eyes narrowed, as if to tell her he didn't believe a word she said. She sighed. He was one of the people who seemed to be able to tell if she was telling a falsehood. He, Severus, and Sparkie.

Then Celestial chimed in. "Oh yes! Your dragon! Let's go see him!" Thorn smirked pushed away from the wall. Maken stood as well. Melissa and Cade stayed seated.

"Uh… Melissa, well, she, um, she doesn't want to see him," his cheeks were gaining a red tint to them, "He's full grown and all, and she's er… nervous! Yeah, that's it, she's nervous."

Maken and Sparkie snorted in laughter and Celestial raised an accusatory eyebrow. "Okay then, your loss." She turned to the Maken and Thorn and said, "Come on! I want to see the thing that almost got you kicked out of school!"

Thorn nodded and led the way from the house. They heard the door close with a snap when they were halfway down the stairs. Sparkie took a quill and bit of parchment and wrote, _They need their privacy._ Then he handed the paper to Maken who laughed aloud. "He can write!" he asked Thorn in awe.

She nodded. "I taught him long ago. He rarely ever actually uses it, however."

Maken rolled his eyes. "Oh no. He does. I was wondering what was up with a few offensive statements at the bases of a few of your letters." Sparkie's eyes widened as he gave Thorn a guilty look. Celestial laughed and Thorn shook her head.

"Sparkie does that? Well, his writing is terrible. You can tell it's not mine." The young lizard glared at her and flew behind her hair again.

It took them a few minutes to reach the arena where Fang was, but they could see him far before then. He was huge according to the mini field. "Wow, Thorn…" Celestial muttered. "How in the world did you keep him hidden while the ministry was searching for him?"

Thorn chuckled, "Thanks to a special shrinking potion. It was more effective than a spell would have been. He was horse-sized for twelve hours."

Celestial nodded, yet still didn't seem convinced. "Somehow, that is hard to believe…"

When they reached the colossal dragon, Thorn explained everything to Celestial as Maken stroked the large reptile's head. She told her of the egg, and the hatching, and how he had acted at his young age. Celestial nodded every so often, and casting glances at Fang once in a while. "And somehow the minister found out about him, or thinks he has. He searched most of the forest, but found nothing." Celestial gave a knowing 'ah' and they heard Maken call to them from where he was.

"Aye! Thorn, can I ride him?"

The Slytherin watched as Maken pleaded with his eyes. She sighed and said, "Only if I'm there, as well. I've been the only one to ride him, so far. I do not want to scare him…"

Maken nodded and said, "Cool! Let's go!" Thorn strode over to him, got on the leather 'saddle' and held a hand down to Maken, as to help him onto Fang behind her. He took it, and they pulled him up. He placed himself behind her, legs on either side of hers. He wrapped his arms tightly around her middle, making sure that he didn't fall off once they were airborne. Thorn felt an irrational anger come from Sparkie, as he sat on Fang's head, giving the Gryffindor a deadly glare. She rolled her eyes, scolded him, and turned to her friend behind her.

"Are you ready?" she asked Maken. He nodded silently, either quiet from thrill or fear. She smirked, and roared over to Fang. "Let's go." He nodded in agreement and with a mighty flap of his gigantic wings they were in the sky. She felt Maken gab onto her stomach tighter at the sudden change in velocity. She also felt Sparkie begin to have his anger issues return in full throttle. Yet once he was used to the sudden changes his grip relaxed again until he was practically just resting.

"This is great!" He screamed in both exhilaration and to be heard over the winds. Sparkie made a swooping motion towards him, but was caught off by a sudden gust and twirled away into a cloud. Maken hadn't even noticed his failed attempts to harm him, however.

After a few more minutes, they flew back towards the earth, Sparkie gliding down after them, a furious look scarring his face. When they landed, Maken and Thorn stepped off of the colossal neck that they had been perched upon and Celestial clapped. "Nicely done, Thorn! And they said that it was an impossibility to tame a dragon!"

Thorn smirked. "Would you like a ride? I'm sure that Fang wouldn't mind." Sparkie landed on her shoulder. Had Maken seen the glare that had been turned upon him, he would have been really happy that looks couldn't kill.

Celestial shook her head. "No thanks. It might just be me, but dragon riding isn't really my thing…" She smiled and said, "Well, let's get back to Melissa and Cade. We don't want them to think we've died, or anything."

I would prove that Cade and Melissa were not worried about the others at all. In fact, they were too absorbed in what they were doing to even notice them come in. Celestial had led the way into the house, followed by Maken, and then Thorn. The brunette opened the door, and then swiftly closed it again. "I… uh, I don't think they've been too concerned…" she muttered, a light blush rising into her cheeks.

Thorn nodded, figuring what was going on, both by Celestial's statement and rising redness. Maken and Sparkie, however, failed to comprehend. "What?" the Gryffindor asked, "What's goin' on?"

_Yeah! _Sparkie asked mind wise, _What the heck's wrong?_

Thorn rolled her eyes and Celestial cleared her throat. But neither of them had stopped Maken as he reopened the door fully. Sparkie and Maken first just stared, then cracked up laughing. Cade and Melissa were lying on Maken's bed and, as Sparkie kept exclaiming, it was as if they were trying to swallow each other's tongues. Thorn shook her head as Maken and Sparkie rolled on the floor with laughter. Celestial crossed her arms over her chest and said, "How _immature!_"

As soon as the commotion was heard, the two 'love-birds' leapt apart. Cade's face was red in embarrassment and contorted in fury. Melissa merely hid her face in her hands and flopped back onto the bed. "MAKEN TY WOOD!" He screamed, and Maken instantly shut up and got to his feet. Sparkie was still shaking with laughter, under the bed. "I SWEAR TO GOD, I AM GOING TO **KILL** YOU!"

Maken had taken that as his cue to run the heck away, and he darted down the stairs. Sparkie somehow managed to crawl back to Thorn and climb onto her shoulder. Celestial went next to Melissa and began to comfort her, telling her that Maken was just a silly little kid and didn't understand love. "I'm going to go save that 'silly little kid' now," Thorn said as she began to leave the room. Something told her that if Cade actually got a hold of Maken, the poor Gryffindor would NOT be happy…

She had been correct. Cade was once again chasing Maken around the yard, but this time the friendliness of it was gone. Cade wouldn't actually hurt Maken if he ever caught him, Thorn was positively sure of that, but he would defiantly be close to it. "THORN!" Maken howled as he ran towards her in his wolf form, husky Cade on his heels.

She rolled her eyes and somehow managed to catch both of them by the tails, holding them an entire arm's span apart to keep Maken safe and Cade out of Azkaban. "Now, why don't we start acting like people and not animals?" she asked dangerously, her silky voice showing the very smallest hint of annoyance.

Cade then changed back to a human, Thorn gripping the bottom of his shirt. "Fine, I'll strangle him with my bear hands!" Yet now that joking hint was beginning to return. He had been having too good a time to be to desperately angry. He leapt out of Thorn's grasp and onto the white wolf, who transformed back to Maken as the other's weight came down on him.

"I'm sorry!" Maken exclaimed as Cade began to shake his shoulders, a sly smirk across his face. His hair was flailing about his face with every jerk that Cade caused to his head. Thorn took Cade's shirt, pulled him off of her other friend, who was laughing on the grass.

_Aw,_ Sparkie pouted in her head,_ You shoulda let him kill him!_

Thorn ignored him as Cade said, "Next time, you'll be lucky to live!" Then he laughed and held his hand down to help his friend to his feet.

Thorn watched them with a smirk, then said, "Are we done out here now? Because Celestial's trying to cheer up poor Melissa. I think that Sparkie and Maken traumatized her." At this a guilty look placed itself into Maken's features and a worried one in Cade's. The two of them sprinted up the stairs, and Thorn followed.

When they entered the room Celestial and Melissa were laughing about something. The two boys exchanged confused looks as Thorn smiled. What girl talk could do. Sparkie, too, looked lost. Melissa then came over to Cade and embraced him. His look was just as blank as Maken's and Sparkie's, but none the less he hugged her back. Celestial smiled. Somehow, Thorn figured that Maken, Sparkie, and Cade, would NEVER get what had happened.

"What did you tell her?" Thorn asked Celestial quietly. Sparkie was staring at Cade and Melissa in complete confusion, missing their entire conversation.

The Gryffindor laughed, "Just that Maken is Maken and he'll always laugh, but she'll get her revenge if he ever gets a girlfriend, and that just because Maken ticked him off, Cade was mad not because they were laughing, but because they'd interrupted. It cheered her up a lot. And I told her not to be afraid to show her feelings in front of others. If Maken laughed, just ignore him."

Thorn nodded. Girl talk. Something she never did, but fully understood. Sad, really. Sparkie, who had still missed this conversation, let his voice echo through Thorn's mind. _I **really** don't get it…_

Thorn chuckled, _That's alright, perhaps its better that it remains that way._ Then she looked to the others and said, "We might want to be heading to Diagon Alley. I'm sure that Melissa would like to join us, muggles have been there before, as long as they know about, and believe in the wizarding world, which I am sure she does."

They got to Diagon Alley by way of floo powder. Melissa was scared out of her wits and it took her a moment to get the words out. When they had all gathered in Diagon Alley, they began to search the shops for their supplies. Naturally, they got their books first, and, as usual, Thorn got five more than they needed. Then they got their other things, and after that, went to get ice cream. As they sat outside the shop, Celestial suddenly gasped and dove behind Thorn, spilling her now suddenly unwanted ice cream onto the ground. "Oh no…"

Thorn cocked an eyebrow at the suddenly hiding Gryffindor, and Sparkie popped his frozen-desert covered head out of the bowl that Thorn's had been in. "What?" she asked, and Celestial pointed ahead. There was a young boy, seemingly a first year, walking around with a dog on his heels and an oddly colored blue phoenix on his shoulder. His blonde-highlighted hair fell down over his eyes, and his clothes seemed too big for him.

"That," Celestial exclaimed, "Is Mikey Corvin. His real parents were killed by Bellatrix Lestrang, and he was adopted by the Chang family." Maken said something about the 'poor kid,' and Celestial continued. "He was with Albus for a portion of the beginning of the summer, for some reason or another. Let me tell you, he is one hyper kid!"

Thorn nodded and looked to the first year, who looked back up to her, and caught sight of the auburn-haired girl behind her. "Celestial!" he shouted as he began to run towards them, his bright blue bird taking flight and landing on the lamp post above their heads, and his dog trotting in his wake. "It's been soooooo long!" He said as he grabbed her arm and pulled at her.

She groaned and said, "Hey, Mikey, how're you? Oh, these are my friends, Melissa, Cade, Maken, and Thorn." Then the youngster's attention was turned to them.

"Hi! I'm Mikey Corvin! It's nice to meet you all! Do you go to Hogwarts? Is it nice there? Cho always bragged about how she would get to go to Hogwarts before I did, but then I twisted her robes around her feet and she didn't say anything, she yelled a lot, though."

Sparkie stared at Mikey in disbelief. "He's like… an older, young Maken!" he muttered. Thorn had to agree. Maken looked slightly disbelieving himself; Cade looked as if he wanted to stuff a sock down the first year's throat. Melissa was laughing and Celestial was muttering, "Why me?"

Thorn was the first to speak, "Yes, we go to Hogwarts. It is nice there. But you might want to watch out for Peeves, he—" Yet her sentence was cut short by a shrill shriek from the other side of the street.

"Celestial!" the pink blur that was Taffy Trelawney darted forwards, grabbed Celestial by the arm and began to mutter. "Run! It's not too late! You can save yourself if you run!"

Thorn rolled her dark eyes and Sparkie sighed in annoyance. Maken shook his head sadly and Cade turned to Melissa to explain the pink and yellow puffball. Celestial turned to Taffy and said, "Taffy, I have said this before, I do not need saving."

Taffy gasped and brought her hands to her face. "She's brainwashed you! I knew it! Don't worry, I'll help you!" She reached into her robes and took out a strange pink powder. She poured a handful into her hand and threw it into Celestial's face. "Evil, be gone!"

Celestial coughed and sneezed as the pink dust flew into her mouth and nose. "Taffy!" She scolded. "Listen to me, I do _not_ need saving!" Yet the Hufflepuff's ideas didn't change.

"Fine, you be that way. But when she ends up betraying you, then you'll know. They all will. I won't be the only one anymore. I'll be famous for being the only one that knew, you'll see! You'll all see!" Then she stormed off, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she went.

Maken rolled his eyes, "Thank God that's over…"

Mikey looked after her, a malicious glint in his eyes. "Heh heh heh, my new pawn is found!" The others decided not to ask. Not long later, Mikey left them, and they wandered the streets again. Thorn bought herself more potions supplies and they went to Gringots. Melissa got sick on the ride in the carts so she and Cade got a ride back up on one of the stops. When Thorn got all the money that she would need she and Maken made their way outside once again, Sparkie rather enjoying himself on the ride.

They were walking down the alley, making their way towards the ice cream shop that they had been at earlier to meet up with Cade and Melissa and go back to Maken's house. They saw the shop in the distance when suddenly Thorn's eyes were caught by a gleam of silvery blonde. She turned her head to look at the tall, slender figure. Her hair was short and spiked, but long locks were hanging from her head none the less, falling below her shoulders. Thorn's eyes slightly widened as she looked upon the girl. _Is she… No, she couldn't be… but she must. I thought they had all died… _

_Huh?_ Sparkie asked as he tried to catch a glimpse of what Thorn had been looking at, but the tall girl had disappeared. _What? What're you talking about?_

Thorn shook her head, _Nothing._

"Okay," Melissa said as she brushed the soot from herself in the Wood's living room. "Those are the two strangest people that I have ever met."

"Mikey and Taffy?" Celestial confirmed, "Yeah, Taffy's a Thorn-hating feminist, and Mikey is, well, just Mikey. You don't have to go to school with them, so feel lucky."

"I wonder what house the little guy will be in," Cade wondered aloud, "Let's hope that it's not Gryffindor." Maken and Celestial agreed. Thorn nodded, but was hardly really listening. _Who was that girl…_ she was muttering in her head. She had now come to the conclusion what she was, but she wasn't sure if that was possible. _Maybe she had been a ghost? No, that wasn't it..._ _Hmm…_

_Okay, Thorn, if you don't shut up… _Sparkie threatened. He still didn't know what Thorn was talking about. She nodded and thought no more about this strange newcomer, for then, at least.

Not long later it was time for her to leave. She bade her friends farewell and leapt upon the leather saddle that rested on Fang's neck and they flew off into the sky. She arrived home two hours later, the sun making it's decent behind the far off mountains as she stepped into her stone house. Sparkie muttered a goodnight and went into her room to flop down onto her bed and sleep. Severus was sitting in his desk in his room, writing something down as he looked at seven differently shaped potions bottles. She wandered next to him and read over his shoulder.

_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,_

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead, _

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine, _

_Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_

_To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once taste them, though different at first sight._

She nodded. Very clever. Not many witches and wizards new how to solve puzzles such as that one. "You're protection means, I presume?" Thorn said in a low, silky voice. Severus looked up to her, noticing for the first time that she was there, and nodded.

"Yes, can you figure out which one is the correct one?" he gestured towards the bottles ahead of him. She nodded and then picked up the smallest bottle. Severus smirked and nodded once again. _Well, she was raised, in part, by you…_ he reminded himself, _And you wrote the riddle. _

"Don't worry," she muttered after a while as she set the bottle back down. "Few others would be able to guess it. I'm just… me, I suppose. Raised by a brilliant man, and born with a brilliant mind. She sighed and walked to her room, embracing Severus lightly before she went. The potions master sighed.

"Why does she have to practice occlumency?" he asked himself, though he well knew the answer. "It may give her a brilliant mind, as she put it, but she knows nothing of the affairs of the heart… I presume that she and I never will…" He shook his head sadly and got back to work on his challenge

Thorn walked through the night to her bedroom, her boot heels making soft clicking sounds against the cold stone floor. She made her way into the dark comfort of her room and shut the door. Taking out her wand she muttered an illuminating spell that set the candles along the walls aflame. Sparkie grunted in annoyance and crawled under her black covers, hiding himself from the light.

She clicked her way over to her desk, where she removed her boots, set them next to her desk, and began to search through the books on her desk. _No… not here…_ she thought as she set the novels aside.

_Go… to… bed… _Sparkie muttered in her mind. She ignored him and walked to her bookcase. She ran her fingers along the spines of the volumes there, trying to find what she was looking for. She sighed and sat on her bed.

_I know that I have something about them somewhere around here… _she thought. Then she stood once again and kneeled on the floor to look under the bed. It was remarkably clean down there, for Sparkie, having chosen that as his own room, kept it rather tidy. In the back, against the wall, was a book bag. She'd put it there months ago to protect it from Fang.

They were the more important tales about the past. The way past, things that many had forgotten. Also some of her favorite, and most useful other books concerning magic, and, particularly, potions. She'd first read them when she had been merely eight, and had then put them on top of her bookshelf, to keep them safe. Then Fang had come along, and she'd taken the most important ones there to keep them away from his curious claws.

She muttered "_Accio book bag!_" and the cloth sped towards her from under the bed frame. She then stood, sat on her bed and dumped the contents out onto her covers. Sparkie, who was on the other side of the bed and under the blankets, jolted up at the sudden vibration. She ignored him and began looking through the books. _Most Potent Potions, The Worlds Most Dangerous Potions, Finest Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of the Middle Ages… _She smiled. There it was… _History of History._ The story of the real ancient times, when there was another race, aside from wizards, witches, and muggles around.

She flipped open the book and went instantly to the table of contents. First chapter… 'Elves.' She flipped through the pages until she reached said chapter. She read through it quickly.

Elves

_Elves are easily some of the most curious creatures that have ever roamed the lands. They were skilled with magic without wands, but more often they carried them anyway. They were easily recognized as having a slender figure, and beautiful features. Also they're pointed ears made them easy to distinguish from muggles and magic folk. Their hair is usually a deep brown, almost raven color, or a silvery blonde. Rarely, they can be born with red or light brown hair, but mostly only if they have crossbred with muggles or magic folk. Also, elves have eyes that are either dark or light according to their hair color. Light hair, light eyes, or dark hair and dark eyes. They also never tan, nor burn. They have naturally pale complexions. _

_Elves are also known to have extremely long life spans. They could live for hundreds of thousands of years. Elves generally have an odd way of growing. They would grow years at a time. After a hundreds of years a young elf might seem only two or three. Every year after that seems like a normal year to a wizard. They would look four the year after that, and five after that, and continue to grow in such a way until they seemed twenty-one. When that time came they would go into another period of slow growth, it taking hundreds of years at a time to reach the appearance of twenty-two. It goes on like that their whole lives_

Thorn only read the first few paragraphs, but that had been enough. Yes, she had defiantly been an elf. But now Thorn was wondering how she escaped the slaughter… All the elves had been slain by an unknown force. Not even the book could tell. Whoever knew how they were killed sure wasn't telling. Well, this new girl, who, for all Thorn knew, was probably over three-hundred years old, did know what happened, Thorn was sure of that, and Thorn's curios mind compelled her to find out.

_Thorn Samarra Rose… _Sparkie muttered, half awake. _Go… to freaking… bed._

She smirked and agreed, moved the books from her bed, changed into her night clothes, checked to make sure that the cover was still securely set, and climbed under the covers. Sparkie instantly made a cooing sound and cuddled up to her side. She ran a hand over the slender reptile's form as she cast herself into sleep. _This is going to be one interesting year… With Harry Potter, Mikey Corvin, and that elven girl…_


	20. Return to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: Okay… last time my Disclaimer hated me, so I have to say this now. Mikey Corvin and Raliegh Sawyer do not belong to me. Nor does the poem riddle thing at the end. And in this chapter, same thing, and the sorting hat song is not mine either…

Author's Note: Okay… I haven't updated in a while, here's the next chapter. The next two after this might be a tad short…

Chapter Twenty

Return to Hogwarts

Early the next morning she woke and took her shower. Sparkie woke an hour later, yawning widely, his little pointed teeth showing. Thorn stood half clothed in her room, pulling her tank top over her head. "Finally," she said in dry wit, "Fang, Shadow, and the others have already taken off. Well hidden, and Dumbledore is personally making sure that nothing goes wrong."

Sparkie shrugged and flew to Thorn's shoulder and took her amulet out from under the black cloth. "Well, it's gonna be one heck of a time trying to get the centaurs used to our dragon friend."

Thorn shook her head, sitting down on her bed and pulling her boots on. "No, Albus also made a deal with them, cutting off a very small portion of the woods for Fang only. The others are free anywhere, the centaurs don't really mind them." Sparkie gave an 'ah' of understanding as he dove to the floor to tie the shoe that she wasn't already tying.

They packed her trunk, managing to fit all of her books in due only to a shrinking spell. They hid her invisibility cloak under everything in a rather plain looking brown paper wrap to make sure that even if someone did manage to get into it, they wouldn't think of opening the parcel. She placed the Chinese-danger detector into her robes, and closed her trunk. Sparkie clasped it shut.

She and the lizard carried it out into the front room. Or rather, Sparkie sat on top while Thorn hovered it out with a levitation spell. Once it was in the living room they went to the kitchen to have what they could call breakfast. Thorn made herself some toast while Sparkie bathed himself in bacon. Not long later Severus came in, wearing his long robes and cloaks. "This year," he said silkily, "You'll go to Maken's and then to platform nine and three-quarters. It will be easier that going strait to the station, and less dangerous."

Thorn nodded, and Sparkie sighed and hit his head with a little blue fist. "All right, when are we wanted over there?"

Severus looked at a strange clock that hung from the wall above the stove. "In about thirty minutes. Well, I must go." He took Thorn into his arms and said, "I'll see you at school." Then he apperated away.

Thorn sighed and sat down at the kitchen table, resting her chin on her laced fingers. Sparkie continued to eat bacon while they waited. Soon the clock reached nine and Thorn gathered all of her things and she and Sparkie used a portkey that Severus had left to get to the Wood's. They waited there for another hour for Maken to get out of bed, then they were off. Gary Wood drove them by way of ministry car and they reached the station half past ten. As they walked towards the platform Thorn saw a scrawny boy with messy black hair and a trunk bearing the initials 'HP.' She nodded knowingly and followed behind the others without a word.

Sparkie was much happier this time, being an invisible form on her shoulder. Midnight slept soundly in her cage atop the trunk on the trolley. Just as they reached the platform they saw Mikey Corvin and Cho Chang make their way through the portal, followed by their parents. She heard Maken mutter, "There he goes…" as he disappeared into the brick wall.

They followed him through, first Oliver, then Maken, Thorn, and the Wood parents. When they reached the other side the first thing that they saw was Cade, waving them over to where he was standing. They said their good-byes to Maken's parents as Oliver went to join Alicia Spinet and Angelina Johnson. It seemed that Katie Bell had yet to show up.

"C'mon," Cade said as they reached him. "Celestial saved us a compartment. She was the first on here!" He led them inside, Thorn and Maken carrying in their own trunks. Sparkie flew behind them somewhat, looking at all the first years.

_Man, were you guys ever this small? _he asked in mild surprise. _They're so little!_

Thorn nodded, _Of course they are, Sparkie. What did you expect, really tall first years? _Then she caught sight of the elven girl that she had seen in Diagon alley, whom was at least a head taller than most of the third years, nearly the height of a seventh year. _I stand corrected. _

_Huh?_ Sparkie asked as he craned his neck to see what Thorn did, but the elf girl had already stepped inside of an empty compartment. _ I swear, Thorn, you've completely lost it!_

She shrugged as she pulled her trunk into their compartment and, with Celestial's help, pushed it onto the racks above their head. Midnight was there as well. Somehow they managed to fit all four trunks, owls, and people into the cramped compartment.

"Whew!" Celestial said as she sat down after setting Kara next to Midnight. "Well, now that that's over. How was your last free night?"

Maken shrugged, "I pigged out on mom's home cooking, after all, I won't get to eat it for a while. Then I turned in early so that I could wake up on time."

"Which you still didn't do," Thorn pointed out. Maken nodded and laughed. "I just read a bit," Thorn continued, "Which isn't too surprising." They all nodded.

Cade shook his head. "Me and Melissa just hung out. Not too big for any of you." He gave Maken a threatening smile as the other Gryffindor snickered. Sparkie smiled evilly.

During most of the train journey Maken and Cade played exploding snap, while Celestial watched and Thorn read. Once Celestial and Thorn played each other in chess, seeing as the Gryffindor had a portable set. Thorn won spectacularly, making Celestial feel rather foolish for having challenged her in the first place. About halfway through the ride a young boy and girl opened the door.

"Hello," the girl said. She had bushy brown hair, and as she spoke they saw her rather large front teeth, "Pardon me for bothering you, but Neville here has lost his toad, and we're looking for him."

Maken shook his head. "No, sorry, no toads here."

"Are you sure?" the girl continued as the boy Neville whimpered in the hallway. "I mean, our compartment isn't very far from here. Maybe it slipped in without—"

"It isn't' here," Cade repeated, and then, sarcastically, he added, "And if he had been, Sparkie would have eaten him." The blue and red lizard smiled proudly.

The girl rolled her eyes and turned to the round-faced Neville. In the corridor they heard her say, "Oh, no, Neville, that boy was kidding. Whatever Sparkie is didn't eat Trevor, its okay."

Cade and Maken laughed. Celestial rolled her eyes and Thorn reopened her book. Then suddenly, they heard a bored drawl outside their compartment. "I've heard that Harry Potter is on the train, up a bit further. Let's see if Potter rightfully deserves all that fame that he has." Sparkie slid the door open slightly and slipped into the hall.

Cade turned to them. "Harry Potter? Isn't he that kid who killed, uh, You-Know-Who?" he asked rather oddly.

Thorn sighed. "Voldemort isn't dead." Celestial twitched. "But yes, generally he did. He drained him of his powers. Harry Potter is on the train, I saw him in the station."

Maken watched her curiously, "Really? I didn't… Where was he?"

"He looked rather confused, he was behind us looking at his ticket. Probably trying to figure out where in the world platform nine and three-quarters was, after all, he was raised by muggles." The others nodded. Then Sparkie returned.

_That was Draco Malfoy, Lucius's son. _Thorn sighed in annoyance, _He was trying to get Harry Potter to be his friend. It was funny when he practically told him to bug off, though. Then that rat that the red-head had bit him! _He paused, thinking, then muttered, _There's something weird about that rat…_ She nodded, ignoring his last statement, it was probably just Sparkie's paranoia.

Not long after that they got into their school clothes, pulling the robes over their clothes. Not long after that the train slowly began to slow down and eventually stopped altogether.

They got their trunks and owls down with much difficulty and walked out into the darkness that had long since fallen. The familiar voice of Rubeus Hagrid calling for first years was heard through the excited babble. When the youngest members of the school had been taken by the half giant to the boats the remaining students were piled into coaches that were pulled by thestrals. After a moment it occurred to her that not many students could see them. She heard quite a few second years exclaim about the horseless carriages.

The thestral pulled carts soon reached the front entry to the school and the students filed out. In the front door, Peeves preceded to throw wads of paper at passer-by. Sparkie went to chase him away, but merely got struck square in the face and plummeted back into Thorn's arms. Maken laughed and the lizard growled. When they entered the great hall the four of them went to their according tables, back to back with one another. They waited for a moment before the first years began to pile in.

Leading the group was a the tall form of Minerva McGonagall. Next to her was another form, at least a head above all of the other students. Before the sorting had begun the tall, silver-blonde haired girl walked up to Albus Dumbledore and muttered something in his ear, and then pointed to her visible ears. She heard Dennin Spitz say, "Is she a new teacher? She's hot!" Thorn rolled her eyes.

Dumbledore nodded and murmured something back to her, then she went to join the first years once again. Dennin's jaw seemed to drop and Thorn smirked.

Before the first years had gotten completely down the row of tables, Mikey Corvin ran over to where Thorn, Maken, Cade and Celestial sat. "Oh, I was wonderin'…" He muttered quietly, "What year are you guys in?"

Maken turned to face him. "Second, Mikey. Why?" The first years face seemed to drop.

"Oh, I'm sorry… You gotta deal with Cho…" Celestial laughed and Thorn nodded in understanding. Then Mikey asked another question. "What house is that pink-wearing blond-haired, too-perky-for-her-own-good girl in?"

"Hufflepuff," Thorn replied silkily.

A mischievous grin set itself upon Mikey's face. "Oh man, this is gonna be a GOOD year!" Then he sped off to join the other first years. Maken and Thorn exchanged skeptical looks.

Now there was silence. The first years attention had just been brought to the old form of the Sorting Hat. Then, when the hat suddenly leapt up and went into song, many of them gasped and jumped themselves.

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see, _

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black, _

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart, _

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folks will use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none"_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The whole hall began to ring with clapping as the hat gave a dramatic bow to each of the four houses then sat perfectly still once more. McGonagall unrolled a long piece of parchment and stepped forward. "When I call your name," she called to the gathered first years, "You will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbot, Hannah!"

A young girl with blonde pigtails stumbled forwards and put on the hat. The rim of the cloth fell over her eyes, hiding her view of the world. She sat down and a moment later the hat called "HUFFLEPUFF!" Her house table cheered loudly and she ran to sit down, smiling. Taffy Trelawney stood up and gave her a hug.

"Bones, Susan!" Again the hat cried Hufflepuff and another young girl ran to her new house.

"Boot, Terry!" McGonagall called. The young boy ran up and pulled the hat onto his head. After a short time of silence, the hat announced him as a Ravenclaw and he ran to his cheering table.

Then another Ravenclaw, "Brocklehurst, Mandy," and after that the first new Gryffindor, "Brown, Lavender." Maken, Cade, and Celestial all gave welcome sheers as the Weasley twins cat-called. She sat at the table, a nervous yet content smile still on her face.

"Bulstrode, Millicent!" A rather large, and not pleasing to the eye, girl walked up to the stool, sat down, and became a Slytherin. Thorn gave a few claps as another student was added to her house.

Then McGonagall called up a face that she recognized. "Corvin, Mikey!" She looked behind her to see Cade crossing his fingers and chuckled. The youngster sprinted up to the hat, almost tumbled strait over, and sat on the stool. He jammed it over his eyes and it soon called, "Hufflepuff!" Cade let out a sigh of relief as Mikey sped to the Hufflepuff table and took a seat.

Not long later another Hufflepuff, "Finch-Flechley, Justin," was sorted. He sat across from Mikey, who instantly began to talk to him. Then a Hermione Granger became a Gryffindor, and the toadless boy, Longbottom, Neville, was as well. He ran off with the hat on his head and had to give it back with a rather red face.

Then Thorn sighed as Draco Malfoy was called up. No sooner than the hat had been pulled over his head had it cried "SLYTHERIN!" He smirked and then strutted to his place, that happened to be directly next to Thorn. "Well, of course, it's no surprise that I got into Slytherin, is it?" His two goons, Crabbe and Goyle laughed stupidly and Thorn rolled her eyes. Sparkie hissed in annoyance as Malfoy continued on about something or another about his father and what he had told him of the school.

The crowd of first years was now less than half as big as it had been. After a fair few were called, "Moon," whom Celestial swore she didn't know, "Nott," "Parkinson," who became another Slytherin and sat across from Malfoy, twin girls "Patil, Padama, and Patil Parvati," a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor, and "Perks, Sally-Anne."

McGonagall then called, "Potter, Harry!" the disheveled form of Harry Potted stepped forwards nervously. Thorn figured that it didn't help that the hall had instantly broken out into whispers and pointing. She rolled her eyes as half of her table stood up to see him better. Antonette even stood on her seat. She looked back to see the other tables doing similar things and sighed. _Poor kid,_ she thought. Sparkie had to agree.

Momentarily, Thorn felt a surge of nerves fly through her. Sparkie looked up to her as she suddenly went still. Harry Potter was feeling extremely nervous, and that feeling was passing through Thorn's own being. She had often felt such surges of strange emotion, and knew what they were, so she didn't wonder about it. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind once again, making sure that Harry's emotions didn't break through for a second time.

The hat was on for a short time, and then it let the word "GRYFFINDOR!" escape its 'mouth.' Harry took the hat off of his head with a huge smile and ran to the table. He was, by far, receiving the loudest cheer. From her odd angle, Thorn saw many people giving him handshakes and such. The Weasley twins began to chant, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

Soon there were only four people left to be sorted. "Sawyer, Raleigh!" the tall girl with silvery hair stepped forwards. She sat on the stool and brought the hat onto her head. After a seemingly long time the hat called "RAVENCLAW!" Cho Chang and her friends cheered loudly as Raleigh went to join them.

Then "Thomas, Dean," went into Gryffindor, "Turpin, Lisa," became another Ravenclaw, and the second of the last two remaining first years, "Weasley, Ron," was called. He was a pale color, obviously hoping for the best. Then the hat called, "GRYFFINDOR!" and he ran to his house table happily.

Thorn saw all the Weasley brothers congradualte their youngest male sibling as Zabini, Blaise was made a Slytherin. McGonagall then took the Sorting Hat and the stool away.

Albus rose to his feet to look at the school. His eyes gleamed brightly as he looked to his pupils. "Welcome!" he said, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Many of the students laughed. "Thank you!"

He then sat down as the whole school clapped and cheered. Well, most everybody. Malfoy merely stuck his nose into the air and said something about how Dumbledore was unfit for the job. Sparkie hissed in anger and the stuck-up first year spun quickly to see whatever had made that threatening noise. Sparkie was now invisible, however.

Then the dishes on the tables filled with food. Sparkie dove onto Thorn's plate and began to throw food onto it. Draco Malfoy watched in bewilderment as Thorn's plate magically filled. "What is going on, you?" he asked her rather rudely.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not quite sure, Mr. Malfoy, you tell me, since you obviously know a lot more about magic than any of us here." He snorted in his own way of disagreement and then leapt backwards as suddenly Sparkie's blue and red form appeared and threw a chicken leg at him.

"What is that thing!?" he asked astounded as Sparkie grabbed another drumstick.

With much effort, he slung it over his shoulder and with one little clawed hand, he gave the motion that clearly said come closer. "Bring it on!" he hissed lowly. Malfoy looked at him in fear and then turned to Crabbe and Goyle.

"C'mon, boys!" he said in a tone that portrayed him as being much more confident than he really was. "Let's show this lizard what you can do!" They never got the chance, though, for the silvery haired girl stood up and walked over to them.

"Hello," she said calmly. Her face showed no emotion, much like Thorn's, save for her eyes, which showed all the emotion to make up for what her features did not. "Excuse me, but I was wondering if we could borrow an unused goblet? We have one too less."

Thorn nodded and handed her one. While she was turning away with a thanks Sparkie saw her ears. They were pointed. "Woah…" he muttered. Then he suddenly leapt into the air and flew after her. "Are those real?" he asked himself. He landed on her shoulder, which caused her to stop, and began to tug on her ear in his invisible state. "They CAN'T be!" He placed his little back feet on her face as he pulled with all his might on her pointy ear. Then he began to flap his wings madly, trying to get her ear to come off. To anyone who didn't know what was going on the scene was quite hilarious. In fact, to those who did know what was going on it was. Raleigh's ear was bent at an odd angle, she had little imprints on her face where Sparkie's claws were, and her hair was flying madly about her head as he flapped his webbed wings.

She smiled and muttered, "Yes, they are real." Sparkie stared up at her, and, though she couldn't see him, she looked to where she suspected his face to be. He smiled weakly, released her elven ear, and flew back to Thorn.

"Oops…" he muttered as he hid himself in her robes. Thorn chuckled and looked to Raleigh, who was smiling back to her, telling her that it was okay. Thorn nodded back and the elf sat down. The Slytherin heard Sparkie begin to mutter, "How was _I _supposed to know that they were real…" Thorn smirked.

The feast was almost over, and the deserts soon appeared. Sparkie, getting over his embarrassment, dove onto her plate again and piled it with his favorite sweets. Thorn looked up to Harry Potter on the Gryffindor table, and, out of curiosity, she allowed an opening in her mind for his emotions only. He looked up to Severus, and she followed his gaze. Then, suddenly, pain shot through his scar, and his surprise shot through her body. She blinked quickly, closing herself once again, and turned around.

"What?" Sparkie asked as he saw the unfamiliar look on her face. She shook her head and looked up to Severus, who was talking to Quirrell. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was different than he had been the previous year. He now was wearing a purple turban, and he was much less confident than he had been. Yet that wasn't Thorn's main concern.

_That pain…_ she thought to herself. _Only one thing could cause that kind of pain in Harry's scar…_ She paused and looked up towards the High Table. Severus was calmly talking to Quirrell again. _What had Potter looked at? Who is so close to him that they forced that pain to go through Harry's head…? _Her eyes widened at a sudden realization._ I have to talk to Severus…_

Sparkie licked the chocolate syrup from his body. She had kept those thoughts absolutely private, so he hadn't heard them, "I'm still hungry…" he stated as he looked around the table. With a sly grin he walked over to Malfoy's plate, took off a pastry, and began to eat it. The blonde Slytherin scowled, but at a warning from Phillis.

"Careful, Draco," she muttered, "Thorn's wicked strong. Don't mess with her, or that vile lizard of hers." He gave a disgusted look as Sparkie began to shove his food down his throat.

Then the desserts disappeared as the dinner had and Albus stood once again. The hall went instantly quiet and he cleared his throat. "Ahem—just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." He looked pointedly at Fred and George and Thorn gave a small smirk.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madame Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Thorn's dark eyes gained an even darker hue as another sudden realization struck her. Very few people laughed. This was making more sense by the second…

Malfoy looked around incredulously. "This is some kind of joke, right?" he asked Manuel Graham, who shrugged. "Wait till my father hears, keeping a whole section of a corridor forbidden? Nonsense!"

Thorn rolled her eyes. "Perhaps, Draco, the ones who forbade the corridor know something that you don't." He gave her a nasty look and turned back to Crabbe and Goyle, muttering something to them.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Thorn shook her head and Sparkie dove into her pocket. Severus's face grasped a look that plainly showed his disdain as Dumbledore flicked his wand to make the words to the song float above them in a golden ribbon. "Everyone pick their favorite tune," he said, "And off we go!"

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please,_

_Whether we be old and bald,_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our hears could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare, and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

As normal, almost everyone stopped and separate times. Thorn, who hadn't even sung the horrid tune, waited for the rest of the school to finish. Finally, only Fred and George were left, singing to a slow funeral march, which the Headmaster conducted. When they were done the school clapped, Albus the loudest.

He wiped a tear from his eye, "Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime! Off you trot!"

The Slytherin first years followed one of the prefects to the common room. Thorn received the password from another and was one of the first ones in the room. She went instantly to her dormitory and sat down on her bed, Sparkie lying on her shoulder, too stuffed to move. Then Dreara, Antonette, and Phillis came in. Phillis looked just as scrawny as before, but Antonette seemed to have gained some more weight during the summer. Dreara still looked the same. "Ah, Rose," she said in a rather hostile tone, "You didn't get eaten by a raging hippogriff this summer, then. Darn, I owe Antonette seven sickles."

Thorn smirked, "And you still don't have the looks that you desire. I guess that Phillis owes me three galleons." Dreara flicked her head to look accusingly at Phillis, making her dark brown hair fling out. The red-head held up her hands, as to say that she and Thorn had placed no such bet.

"You liar," Dreara scowled.

"That makes two of us," Thorn replied silkily. Dreara rolled her eyes and changed into her pajamas, as did the others. Thorn followed suit, and then she laid down in her bed and took out one of her new books. As she read she heard the others fall into sleep. So she set her book on the stand besides her bed, flicked out her candle, and fell into slumber.

Yet it was not an undisturbed one. Suddenly Thorn jolted up in bed, eyes snapped open. Sparkie was aroused by her sudden movement, for Thorn never dreamed, therefore never moved while she slept. Yet she had had a dream… Kind of. Harry had had a dream, that had transferred to her while they were sleeping. She remembered nothing of it, save for the fact that Quirrell's turban was involved… As had been Severus. She shook her head, ignored Sparkie's concerned questions, and laid down again. _It seems… that Potter is closer to me than I thought…_


	21. Realization Concurred

Disclaimer: Blah blah... you know it by now

Author's Note: Yay! 'Nother chapter up! Whoo! Go me. Yeah, okay. I hope you like it!

Chapter Twenty-one

Realization Concurred

Thorn awoke at her regular before dawn time, and quickly dressed. She set the still sleeping Sparkie onto her shoulder, locked her trunk with her spell, and descended into the common room. She saw as few students up as she had the previous year as she left the room. _First, to check on Fang and all of them, then to Severus's…_

She left the Slytherin common room and climbed the stairs to the entrance hall. Then she was out on the grounds, running the length to the forest. Sparkie was sleeping soundly in her pocket. She flung herself into the forest and called to Shadow in her mind. The pegacorn, accompanied by her mother, father, and friends came to her at once. Then they lead her to where Fang was confined. When she reached him, he growled in happiness and she stroked his back.

"You are the owner of the dragon, then?" a strange voice said behind her. She turned to face a group of three centaurs. One had a chestnut colored body and a reddish tail, another was black, and wild looking, and the last, the speaker, was palomino, and white-blonde, who seemed youngest of the three.

Thorn nodded. "Yes, I am. My name is Thorn Rose. And this is Sparkie," she pulled the useless lump from her pocket, "Shadow, Shooter, Feather, Talon, Fell, and Fang." She pointed to each as she said their name. She placed the now semi-awake lizard on her shoulder, where he clung as he tried to rid the drowsiness from himself.

The young one nodded. "I am Firenze, and this is Bane, and Ronan."

The black one, Bane, snorted in annoyance. "Firenze, stop being so noble! We're here for one thing! Now get to business!" One of his black hoofed feet struck the earth under him.

Firenze sighed, then said, "Though Dumbledore has made this possible, we can't help but feel troubled. He himself has said that only you can speak to this dragon. We need to be assured that we are safe from his hungry fangs."

Thorn nodded. "Yes, of course." She gave a curt, respectful nod to the three of them, then turned to Fang. "Fang?" she hissed, "When you are hungry, and need to hunt in this small part of the wood, that has been marked for you," she said this as more of a threat that if he left his boundaries, she would know. "You must remember not to hunt unicorns, thestrals, hippogriffs, or, especially, centaurs. If you do, these fellows will not cease to kill you. Do you understand?" Fang nodded and the Slytherin turned to face Firenze, Bane, and Ronan again. "He will not attack you."

Bane gave a skeptical snort. "We'll see, human," then he trotted away, Ronan following in his wake. The palomino centaur sighed and turned back to face them.

"Please forgive Bane; he is not a fan of witches and wizards. He does not believe that they show centaurs much respect. You, however, show us more respect than many others have." He bowed for her, then turned away. "Farewell."

As he galloped after his fellows, Thorn turned to see all of the creatures watching her. "No worries," she muttered, "Fang will be safe. Now, I must go, breakfast will start in fifteen minuets." She gave each of them a stroke before she took off again.

She got to the great hall just as the food was beginning to appear. Amazingly, Maken, Cade, and Celestial were already there, and Maken was fully clothed, his tie secured about his neck. "Hey, Thorn!" he said as she sat behind him, "I was surprised when you weren't already here."

"I had to go check on Fang and the others," she stated simply, "They're doing just fine, a few of the centaurs had a problem with him being there, however. I had to smooth things over with them." Sparkie, now fully conscious, began to pile bacon onto her plate.

"Ah," was all that Maken said as Piper came to sit next to him. They became engaged in conversation as Thorn thought quietly to herself. Sparkie proceeded to stuff his little lizard belly with food. _I didn't get to speak to Severus this morning… After classes, then. Yes, this can not go unknown. _

First she had History of Magic. Once again, as in the previous year, she was one of the few people who stayed awake and retained information. Then she had to head to the greenhouses for Herbology with the Ravenclaws. Then was lunch, where she ate quietly, listening to the conversation that Maken and Cade were having. Something or another about Quidditch. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to face the tall figure of Raleigh Sawyer.

"Hello," she said calmly, her eyes showing the kindness that her face could not. "Mind if I sit here? The morons that were placed into my year along with me are driving me up the wall." Thorn nodded and Sparkie dove under an empty goblet, hiding himself from the girl whose ear he tried to pull off. Raleigh laughed and said, "Don't worry, little guy, I'm not mad. Many people have asked me about my pointed ears." He carefully lifted the wooden shield, that hardly covered him at all, and began to calmly eat a grape.

Then Maken's attention was suddenly brought to the newcomer as he realized that she was there. "Oh, hello!" he said, "I'm Maken… Sorry… Kinda dozed off in the sorting… what is your name again?"

"Raleigh," the elf muttered, and, at the strange look on Cade's face she said, "If you are wondering why my ears have this strange… _pointy_ look, its 'cause I'm an elf, okay?" He nodded, then shrugged.

"_Pointy_ is perfectly fine, I got a whole head of points," he pointed to his hair and Raleigh smiled. Then the sound of high heeled boots clicking loudly on the cold, stone floor caught all of their ears.

Thorn shook her head as Taffy Trelawney sat next to Celestial, across from Raleigh. "Ooh! You're a new face!" she said as she studied Raleigh from head to foot, taking note of her spiky short-but-halfway-long hair. "Well, I should warn you…" she leaned in close, trying, and failing, to make sure that Thorn didn't hear her, "Thorn, that girl over there, she's evil! Trust me, I know…"

Raleigh's eyes gained a purely disgusted gleam and she said, "Why don't you go and jump in the lake? After all, I hear that the giant squid is hungry. Then we can be rid of your ugly face once and for all."

Taffy crossed her arms over her chest and stalked off. Thorn chuckled while Maken, Cade, and Sparkie went into a dead-set laughing attack. Celestial sighed and shook her head. "Taffy's not that bad, guys. Sure, she's annoying, but still…"

The Ravenclaw snorted in her way of disagreement. "Whatever you say, well, I should get going, I have to get to Charms." She stood, gathered her things, and walked off with a wave. Thorn stood as well, Sparkie climbing onto her shoulder.

"We should to head off as well, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts." They nodded and followed after her. _Time to find out if my suspicions are correct._

_What suspicions? _Sparkie asked offhandedly as he flicked a piece of bread from his scaly tail towards Maken. He missed.

She shook her head and continued on her way. _It's nothing, and if it turns out to be something, then you'll know what that thing is._ She smirked to the lizard, who was obviously confused.

He watched her and then thought, _Thorn… you GOTTA stop speaking in riddles._ She shrugged and opened the door to the classroom. Many Slytherins were already there, and all of the Gryffindors were. They took seats at the front of the class and waited for Quirrell to come in.

When he did Thorn sighed. He was stuttering like mad, and seemed almost afraid of everything around him. Something was different. Okay, sure, he was never the most confident person in the world, but he was never this terrified either. "O-okay, c-cl-class, welcome b-back to Ho-Hogwarts. I h-hope that y-y-your summer was a-as g-good as m-m-m-mine was." He let a small, quivering laugh escape from his throat and he continued with the lesson in a rather nervous manner. Thorn sighed. Something was wrong with him.

Yet Thorn would not get to speak to her uncle for a while yet. She went through the first week without doing so, both of them being rather busy. She didn't even get to speak to him during her potions class, she did not want others to discover what was going on. She didn't want to scare them, and her suspicions might be false. So it was Friday when she finally got to speak to Severus.

So she sped down the corridor to the Potions Master's office, Sparkie on her shoulder begging her to tell him what was so urgent. She ignored him as she took the ever familiar path to the ever familiar room. She reached the chamber and pulled the door open. Severus sat at his desk, calmly looking over some reports that the third years had turned in. "Thorn," he acknowledged, "I had Potter in my class today…" he muttered, "He hadn't a clue on what a Bezoar was." He clicked his tongue in disappointment, then seemed to notice the serious look on her face. "What has happened?" he asked with sudden concern.

Thorn sat next to him in a chair that had been designated as hers. Sparkie glided to Severus's shoulder to listen as well. "Something is wrong with Professor Quirrell," she said boldly, "I'm sure that you have noticed his sudden change. He's always been nervous, but this is just ridiculous." Severus nodded and motioned for her to continue. "Well, the night of the sorting, Potter looked up towards him, and you. I was curious, so I opened our connection a little bit, not enough to be noticeable. Well, no sooner than I had…" she paused, trying to figure out what exactly had happened. "A sudden… pain, if you will, shot through me, more like shock, while I sensed it pulse through his scar." Severus's eyes widened.

"That means…" he muttered.

"That Quirrell has a connection with Voldemort." She nodded, "At least I suspect so. I may be wrong…" Severus disagreed.

"Have you ever been wrong before?" he asked. She shook her head. "There you have it. I'll keep an eye on him. If that is the case, then he'll be after Potter…" Severus shook his head, "Trouble does seem to follow that child, doesn't it?"

Thorn smirked, "Indeed…"

By the next week Thorn discovered that Draco Malfoy was the scum of the earth. He was often caught bragging about his skill on a broom, or exclaiming how pathetic the school was, or how horrid Albus was as the headmaster. Sparkie would often curse him out to his face, though he never understood what was being yelled at him. One morning Thorn walked down into the common room in her early hours and looked to the notice board. She sighed. Flying lessons. That had been the one class that she hadn't been top in. Gryffindor and Slytherin working together. Often times Thorn wondered what made people think that combining the two classes would ever bring them closer. As far as she knew, since her mother and father, she was the only Slytherin with Gryffindor friends and vise versa.

Well, it wasn't her concern, not then, at least. When Thursday came Thorn was sitting quietly in Charms, Taffy and her friends Ellen Marsh, Alice Leona, and Celia Teek, babbling on behind her. Their whispers were all but quiet and constantly saying something about the mysterious girl in front of them. Sparkie was sitting at the window, watching the people down below. It was the flying lessons. He quietly pointed out Harry, Harry's friend with the red hair who had a strange rat, the annoying poofy haired girl, and many other people in Thorn's own house.

Ten minutes into class Thorn heard Sparkie think, _The dumpy one just fell! Ooh that looked painful!_ Thorn rolled her eyes and concentrated on the unlocking charm that they were learning. Not long later he said, _Now that freaky blonde kid with the over-stuffed ego is holding something shiny, and Potter's tellin' him off… Now he's flying, I don't think he should be doing that, Madame Hooch isn't there._

Thorn shushed him as she swiftly opened a tightly locked chest and relocked it, _You don't need to give me a play-by-play, Sparkie._

_Are you sure?_ he insisted, _Harry's flying now, too, and he's going after that Malfoy guy. Woah! He just freaking threw that shiny thing! AND HARRY'S DIVING FOR IT! He's gonna crash into McGonagall's window! _Thorn was now listening acutely. Was Potter insane? He even if he didn't die he would be in a lot of trouble, due to the fact that Madame Hooch wasn't present.

_He caught it!_ Sparkie said as he leapt in the window, knocking off a small vial and causing it to crash to the floor. The whole class looked to him, as if noticing for the first time that he was there. He didn't seem to care, though, for he continued, _I woulda caught it ages before, and I wouldn't have almost landed in a heap on Minerva's office floor, but hey, he still did well. Oh, speak of Minerva…_ he suddenly went quiet. Thorn's eyes darkened.

"Class!" the squeaky voice of Professor Flitwick suddenly chipped in, "Back to work! Miss Rose, would you please gather that lizard of yours!" She nodded and quickly pulled Sparkie from the window sill. He struggled, insisting that he wanted to see what was going on, but she won and he collapsed into her pocket.

_We'll find out later, Sparkie…_ She thought to him, the she sighed. _Nice job, Potter. Only the second week and you could already be in more trouble than you bargained for. _

It was much later in the day when she figured out anything, though. It was passed dinner time. She had already asked Maken, Celestial, and Cade if they knew anything about what had happened to Harry. They hadn't known. Now she was sitting in her common room, reading one of her countless books, _Dangerous Mountain Beasts._ Suddenly Draco Malfoy strode in, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him as they always did.

"Potter sure is in for it," the blonde bragged, "That midnight duel is all a joke. He'll go there and find Filch, not me. Then he'll really be out of this crack-pot place." Sparkie rolled his little black eyes and Thorn's eyes stopped moving over the words about the mountain troll.

_That little…_ she thought quietly to herself. _Well, we'll show him, right, Sparkie?_

_Huh? _He asked in a rather bewildered way. _Whatcha talking about?_

_You'll see. _


	22. Bad Halloween Night

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, otherwise I wouldn't be confused about so many strange concepts. (Like the fact that its a possibility that Ubridge is... Trevor!)**

**Author's Note: Yay! This is a kinda emotional (or as emotional it can get with Thorn). Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty-two

Bad Halloween Night

Thorn stayed up for hours, and finally, when it was a quarter to midnight, she awoke Sparkie as well. _Sparkie, get up._ He muttered something and curled into a little ball, _Now, Sparkie! I have a mission for you. _He mumbled again. Thorn sighed, _Well, I guess I'll just have to get Midnight to do it. Perhaps I can make her a special spell, too._

Now the lizard was up. He stood back on two legs, his hand held in a salute on his forehead. _Yes, Ma'am!_ He paused. _Uh… what do I do?_

Thorn carefully walked down into the common room and went into a corner, Sparkie still begging her to tell him what he was supposed to do. Finally, once she was situated with a bit of parchment, she said, "Go to the trophy room and wait for Potter. If he needs you too, distract Filch. Go, now."

It was five to midnight now, but it wouldn't take Sparkie long to reach the room. He nodded and darted through a small hole in the wall. He flew down the corridors, darted around corners, and scaled staircases like nobody's business. Soon he reached the trophy room just in time to see Filch turning into the room. Thorn, who was watching from the common room by Sparkify, muttered, _Harry's not in there, or we would have heard it by now, find them!_

"They're in here somewhere," the caretaker muttered, "Probably hiding."

Sparkie darted around him, invisible as he could be, and just as he was about to turn to see the four Gryffindors, a loud clashing came to his ears. He heard Thorn mutter something about 'fools' in her mind, and he flew after them just in time to escape Filch running directly into him.

Luckily, Harry and his three companions were generally out of sight by the time he got out and he couldn't make out who they were. Sparkie flew silently behind the group of running first years, wondering when on earth they were going to stop. Soon they did, near the Charms room. "I think we've lost him…" Harry said as he caught his breath. Sparkie rolled his eyes.

"I—_told_—you," Hermione said between breaths as she held a stitch in between two of her ribs, "I—told—you."

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," the redhead, known as Ron, as Sparkie later learned, pointed out. Sparkie wanted to say 'duh,' but he kept quiet.

Suddenly the girl with the bushy brown hair said, "Malfoy tricked you. You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you—Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off."

Sparkie nodded. He knew that the smart girl was right. Heck, she was almost always right. "Let's go," Harry then demanded. Yet someone had different ideas for them. They moved about ten steps when suddenly Peeves darted in front of them, and gave a short yelp of joy as he saw the youngsters ahead of him. Sparkie had to laugh, inwardly of course. He loved the poltergeist, when he wasn't harassing the lizard or Thorn.

"Shut up, Peeves—please—you'll get us thrown out." But the little man merely laughed at Harry's statement.

"Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties?" He clicked his tongue in a falsely shamefaced way, "Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty."

Harry was practically begging, "Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please."

Peeves looked to his finger nails and said in a do-gooder voice, "Should tell Filch, I should." His eyes gleamed viciously. "It's for your own good, you know."

Then Ron did the stupidest thing that Sparkie could have thought of. "Get out of the way," he snapped, then he swung for him.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" He screamed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

They flew under Peeves and darted to the end of the corridor, where they ran into a locked door. Thorn sighed in Sparkie's mind and, when he asked what was wrong, she muttered, _That's the forbidden corridor, where they have the stone hidden. _Then he, too, saw the urgency.

Filch rounded the corner sharply and came upon the poltergeist. "Which way did they go, Peeves?"

"Say 'please.'"

Filch looked rather annoyed, and Mrs. Norris glanced at the invisible form of Sparkie as he perched upon a large suit of armor. "Don't mess with me, Peeves," the caretaker warned, "Now _where did they go_?"

Peeves crossed his short arms over his chest and stuck his nose into the air. "Shan't say nothing if you don't say please." Sparkie, and Thorn, were getting rather worried by now. The corridor wasn't safe, Hagrid had a massive, three-headed dog protecting it, and that was only the first obstacle.

Filch gave in, "All right—_please._"

Peeves laughed like a maniac and shouted, "NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" Then he swooped away, leaving the cursing Filch to fend for himself.

_Now!_ Thorn said quickly, _Go down to a lower level and crash something, anything, specifically something big. Hurry! _Thorn and Sparkie both knew that the four others would be storming out of that hallway soon, and her whole plan was to keep them safe from Filch to spite Draco. Sparkie did as he was directed, swiftly dove down to the first floor, and, using his sharp teeth, chewed through a major beam holding a cabinet together. The form itself crashed down to a heap on the floor and Sparkie heard an angry shriek from Filch as he found the quickest way possible to get to the first floor.

_Okay, Sparkie, you're all done, you can come back now, _Thorn muttered in his mind as the lizard laughed at the furious Mr. Filch and the confused Mrs. Norris. He obeyed and soon he was back in the dark common room for Slytherin house. Thorn smirked, "Good job, now let's get to bed, we have to be ready for class tomorrow."

The next day Thorn was pleased to hear Draco say something along the lines of "How in the world did Potter escape without getting caught? It makes no sense!" Sparkie cracked up and fell strait into the plate of bacon, Malfoy giving him the deadliest glare, that just made him laugh all the more.

Thorn turned around to face Maken as he tapped her on the shoulder. Suddenly he brought his face very close to her ear and muttered, "Harry made the house team! Youngest player in a century!" Thorn smirked and muttered, "Does it surprise you? He made an amazing catch."

A week later, when the mail arrived, Malfoy became even more furious. A long parcel was delivered to Harry, and most everyone with a common sense could tell that it was a broomstick. He left the hall before Harry had so much as touched the package, probably hoping to cut him off outside of the hall. Maken said something about Oliver teaching him how to play that night and how he was going to watch. Thorn didn't want to, Sparkie would go into an extreme commentary once again if she did.

The school year was going rather normal for the first two months, according to Thorn's standards. She and Severus were keeping an eye on Quirrell, though they were the only ones doing so. Making sure that he was never alone with Harry was their main task. The Gryffindor would sometimes catch a glance of one of them and probably thought that they were following him. But other that that things were simple. Then, on Halloween, it took a twist that struck Thorn harder than she had expected.

She was sitting at the Gryffindor table next to Maken and Raleigh, who had come to join them. She was still a rather new face, yet she and Thorn got along well. They were waiting for the feast to begin. Celestial said something about how one of the first year girls was depressed and not present. Nobody paid attention.

Then the food appeared and Thorn and Raleigh slunk away to their tables. No sooner than Sparkie had begun to stuff his face with buttery rolls, however, had the heavy doors swung open and a frightful Quirrell sped into the room, a look of terror scarring his face. He fell against the table and managed to say, "Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know." Then he fainted.

Thorn instantly sensed deceit from the Defense teacher's words. She stood up to get a look at him to see if his faint was authentic, yet before she had the chance the rest of the school stood up in complete panic. She caught Severus's eye for a small second to see the same feelings portrayed in his expression.

Suddenly purple firecrackers burst in the air and order was seemingly recalled in the hall. Sparkie darted above everyone's heads with the Halloween bats, on orders by Thorn, to try to spot Quirrell. He didn't see him anywhere in the jumble. "Prefects," Albus boomed, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately."

One of the fifth years began to call orders. "Come on now! Come on! Be careful now!" He began to lead them away. Thorn cast another look to Severus who slipped away unnoticed by the other teachers into the hall. Thorn followed at the end of her house, waiting for the opportune moment to step away unnoticed. When it came she and Sparkie slunk away and dove into Severus's office.

"Are you going to follow him?" Sparkie asked as he flew to the top of a shelf. "I mean, we know where he's going. We could just go after him."

Thorn shook her head. "No. He can handle it. If I go I'll only get in the way because he'll try to protect me from both that massive beast and Quirrell. It's too much of a distraction, and a risk."

Sparkie nodded and he and Thorn waited. Soon they heard a slamming from somewhere above them, then a scream. Sparkie looked to Thorn, his face expressing the worry that hers couldn't. The sound of a fight continued to rage in their ears. Sparkie hid behind Thorn's hair at the screams and banging. Thorn took a moment to close her eyes and figure out what was going on. Letting thoughts and emotions flow through her mind for the shortest amount of time. Harry and his friends were facing the troll.

She relinquished the connection and sat back in the chair and sighed. Sparkie, who had shared the moment with her, sighed as well, "What does he think he's doing? Facing a fully grown mountain troll? That's the stupidest thing in the world!"

Thorn rolled her eyes and sat back. She would know if Harry died. It would pass to her like a sudden mind pain, a headache, if you will. Suddenly there was a crash that was far louder than the previous and that was followed by silence. Thorn and Sparkie exchanged curious looks. The noiseless atmosphere that followed became rather eerie, giving Sparkie's heart a feeling of dread.

Then the door swung open and Severus limped in. Thorn froze. Limped? What was wrong? Why was Severus limping? Thorn had never known him to be hurt. He looked up to her as soon as he entered and his eyes made him seem as if he had wished that she weren't there. "Severus?" she asked quietly, sounding much like a younger child. "What happened?"

He sighed and she stood quickly to let him have his chair. He sat down and pulled his robes up gingerly past his knee. Thorn felt slightly sick at the sight ahead of her. His leg seemed mangled, the blood was seeping through the cloth and dripping down his leg. Thorn closed her eyes. Severus wasn't allowed to be hurt. "Quirrell went to the third floor, as we suspected. We were having a bit of a talk in the corridor when suddenly that beast of Hagrid's sunk it's bloody fangs into me."

Thorn quickly wetted a cloth with a spell and kneeled down to clean off Severus's wound. "I can do it, Thorn," he insisted as he reached to take the cloth from her.

She held it just out of reach and said, "I know that you can, but right now I will while you continue to explain things to me…" She had a stern look on her face, much like one of her mother's, and began to clean off the blood once again.

Severus winced as she tenderly passed over one of the deeper cuts and said, "Well, as I've said, Quirrell was down the hall as well. When I asked him why he wasn't searching for the troll he muttered something about thinking that it had gone that way. I didn't believe him, and, when I told him so, he began to sob onto the floor. I was already having a difficult time watching that three-headed monster and didn't notice as one of its many teeth ripped down my leg…"

Thorn nodded. Most of the blood was already cleaned from his flesh and now Thorn was gathering bandages. She knew that he couldn't go to Madame Pomfrey. She would wonder why he had been in the corridor at all, and the other teachers' suspicions would raise. That was the last thing that they needed. "I apologize if I hurt you," Thorn was able to mutter as she began to wrap his calf. He took a few sharp intakes of breath, registering his pain in the smallest way that he could. When the task was done he dropped his robes again and smiled. 'Thank you."

Thorn nodded. "I should get back to the common room. They probably haven't even realized my absence." She turned away from her uncle, Sparkie flying to her shoulder. "Good night, Severus."

He nodded and murmured a good night as well. When she had shut his door he sighed and said to himself, "She's becoming more like her mother every single day… Sometimes I don't know whether that is a good thing or a bad thing…"

Thorn's feet brought her to the common room by instinct. She was hardly watching where she was going and didn't even notice as she passed directly through the Bloody Baron. Sparkie was sitting on her shoulder, muttering her name, trying to grasp her attention back from her thoughts.

Yet it didn't work. An entire new idea had been put into Thorn's mind. Something that she had never fully realized the possibility of. Sure, she knew that Severus could get hurt, but he had never been injured for as long as she'd known. Now that he had been Thorn's mind was reeling. _If this has happened once… who's to say that it won't again? What if… _She stopped all together, her eyes shooting from the floor to directly ahead of her. _What if… next time… its worse... what if… he dies?_

Sparkie flew in front of her face and took her head into his little claws. "Thorn! No more thinking! Thinking is BAD!" But he was feeling all of her worry, and her sorrow, the emotions that she had difficulty showing, and he soon began to cry. "Do NOT think about that, at the least… It won't happen… Severus is too strong for that to happen. He won't want to leave you."

Thorn bowed her head and quickly snatched Sparkie from the air and pulled him to her chest. After a moment of silence they finished their walk to the common room, said the password, and entered. They both went right to the dormitory, for not even Sparkie wanted to eat now. They sat quietly, Thorn sketching a picture of Severus and herself onto a piece of parchment, and Sparkie watching.

On the paper, her eyes were closed, and Severus had a hand on her shoulder, as if protecting her, looking to whomever set eyes on the drawing itself. Sparkie was sketched out, perched on Thorn's right arm that she held to her stomach.

Not long later the rest of her dorm mates entered and they went to sleep. Thorn, however, couldn't sleep. She laid down in her bed, but for the first time in nine years she could not ease herself to sleep. For once she could not rid her mind of an emotion. And that emotion was fear. It would not leave her alone… It ate at her mind, reminded her that terrible things could, indeed, happen to the man whom she had thought to be the strongest of them all.

How could Severus get hurt? How could he? She could not rid that single question from her mind. He had promised her that nothing would ever happen to him. Well, something did. She was suddenly angry. This was Quirrell's fault! No… not his… Voldemort's…

Thorn took a deep breath. "Don't get angry…" she muttered to herself, "If you get angry everything goes downhill… He might be able to hear you, then…" Sparkie, who was laying by her side, tuned over and looked up to her.

"Thorn?" he muttered sleepily. "Do you need to talk?"

The Slytherin shook her head. "No, Sparkie… Thank you, though. We must get some sleep." She picked him up and placed him by her neck, where he preceded to curl around her face, his tail going past her ear as his head rested near her other one. She sighed and cleared her mind of emotion, and of the horrid sight that had been Severus's leg. Then she fell into a dreamless sleep.


	23. First One to Know

**Disclaimer: For the twenty-third time, I do NOT own The Harry Potter books...**

**Author's Note: Hmmm... what about this chapter... well, nothing aside from the normal, I hope you like it!!!!! Heh heh**

Chapter Twenty-three

First One to Know

Into November things didn't get much better. Severus's leg was slowly healing, and, thanks to an assortment of potions that Thorn began to make for him, the scars would not be there and infection did not come. Yet worry did not leave her. She was still in a sort of shock about the entire thing. Severus was hurt, and, for the first time in eight years, Thorn was afraid. It seemed to show through a bit as well. She didn't quite act like herself, her friends noticed. There was a strange change in her demeanor. She was even more quite than usual and, during potions classes, she could hardly concentrate. She would constantly look up to Severus, as if afraid that he might just fall to the ground.

The night before the first Quidditch match Thorn was sitting on the astronomy tower, ignoring the cold air that caressed over her face. She stared up at the stars, her dark eyes empty of the emotion that was locked deep in her heart. Sparkie was nowhere to be found, probably hiding inside where it was warm. She was thinking again, and thinking was bad for her.

Suddenly Thorn felt something on her shoulder and turned around harshly, prepared for the worst as she always was. Maken was standing there, though, a kind smile on his face and two blankets in his arms. "What are you doing up here, Thorn?" he asked, his voice full of concern. He draped one of the blankets over her shoulders and wrapped it around her. "It's bloody freezing."

She nodded. "Yes, I know." She looked back to the sky as he set himself down next to her with his own cover. A sudden, chilling gust blew her hair into her face and her blanket in a fury about her form. When it died down, though, Maken was surprised to see that her eyes now held a strange thing that he had never seen before. Fear.

Maken knew Thorn better than any aside from Severus and Sparkie, and he knew that there had to be something big to make this glimmer appear. "Thorn," he muttered, "You've been acting strangely. You hardly talk, and you're not paying attention in classes…" He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked into his deep brown eyes, "You can tell me what's wrong."

She sighed and looked down. She trusted him with her life, and she would not lie to him. "Severus is hurt."

Maken was amazed. "What? How? When?"

Thorn sighed and began to explain. She started with the stone, and went on to explain Quirrell, the protections, and, finally, Halloween night. "And when he came back hurt…" Thorn shook her head and hung it down, her veil of dark hair hiding her face, "I… I didn't know what to do. I was scared, Maken, for the first time since… my parents died."

Her head came up in surprise as Maken's arm suddenly draped over her shoulders. "Thorn," he muttered quietly, "It's okay to be scared. Don't worry about it… Everything will be fine."

She smirked. He was like a brother, protecting his younger sister. But he was wrong. It was not okay to be scared. At least, not for her. Someone could abuse that emotion… She let loose a sigh and said, "How did you find me up here, anyway?"

Maken laughed. "I used Sparkify, and your lovely lizard wouldn't tell me where you were, nor would he go find you for me. I took a wild guess." He gave a knowing smirk, "Good thing I know you so well, huh?"

Thorn chuckled, "Yes. Well, my lovely lizard is probably wondering where I am right now." She looked for him with her mind and, when she found him, all she heard was an echoing, _Look at the pretty colors… I didn't know that rivers looked like that…_ "Never mind."

Maken laughed. "Well, it is freezing, so we might want to go in anyway." He stood and held his hand down to his friend to help her up.

She smirked and took it. He pulled her up and she removed the blanket from her shoulders. "Thanks," she muttered as she handed it to him and headed back inside. "I'll see you tomorrow, then," she said as she went down to the south end while Maken parted to go to his dormitory.

"Yeah. Slytherin versus Gryffindor," he smiled. "G'night, Thorn."

The next morning Thorn went to visit Severus and give him his three morning potions; blood replenishing (her specialty), infection fighting, and pure heal. When she went into the room he was sitting at his desk and he seemed nothing short of furious. "Severus?" she asked calmly as she set the potions down on the parchment covering his desk.

He looked up as she came in and sighed. "While Argus and I were changing my bandages yesterday evening Potter came in," the name was said with obvious bitterness.

Thorn's eyes darkened. "What did he say?"

Severus sighed as he picked up the first potion vial, "He wanted his bloody book back." Then he downed the potion in one swift movement and made a look of disdain. "You'd think that they'd be able to make these blasted things taste better…"

Thorn sighed. "Well, no doubt he will have his own erroneous ideas on how you came across such a horrid wound…"

Severus nodded. "Yes…" He quickly drank the next two potions, giving off the same disgusted look that he did when he drank the first. Then he stood, a limp to his left leg still obvious. Sparkie, who was sitting upon Thorn's shoulder, flinched, thinking of the pain that his friend must still be going through. "We should get to the hall for breakfast. Then we have to attend that Quidditch match…"

He led the way out, Thorn following him as always. Sparkie was sitting on her shoulder, anxious for the match to begin. He was almost as obsessed with it as Maken was. Almost.

Yet not quite. That much was made apparent as the school made its way down to the field not long later. Maken, Cade, and Celestial were walking besides her, and Maken's mouth never shut. He went on and on about the different teams, players on said teams, and how many referees had disappeared within the last decade. Turned out to be thirteen.

"Maken!" Celestial finally said, "I don't care! Please, _please_ stop talking about Poodlemore United!"

Maken's face went serious almost at once. "Celestial, please, it's _Puddlemere _United… And if you don't care then don't listen!" Cade laughed as Celestial huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Then the Slytherins and Gryffindors parted ways to go to their own places in the stadium. There were no assigned spots for the games, but when one house was against the other the students seemed to stay in one spot, away from those in the other house. This was especially put for Slytherin and Gryffindor. Sparkie flew about the heads of the green-clad students, darting to and fro happily as he awaited the match to begin.

Not long after they were seated the two teams came onto the field. Thorn's own was dressed in green and the Gryffindors in flashing scarlet. She smirked as she looked across the field into the stands to see a large banner reading "Potter for President" in multicolored flashing paint, a lions head drawn beneath. The rest of her house was angrily pointing at the opposite side.

Then the game began, Sparkie giving commentary just as Lee Jordan was. Thorn watched as the players darted around like humming birds. The first score was received by Gryffindor, not surprising to Thorn seeing as her team usually used brute force and not strategy to make a point.

Yet the victory did not last long. Gryffindor scored a second time, then the snitch was seen. The whole crowd went silent as they searched for a glimmer of gold. Sparkie seemed to be the first, aside from Harry who went darting after it, to see the little winged ball, for he leapt up, pointing and shouting words that only Thorn could understand.

Terence Higgs, the seventh year seeker for the Slytherins, was right next to Harry, but the race seemed hardly worth it, seeing as Potter had a Nimbus Two Thousand. Suddenly Sparkie roared, literally, in anger as Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team captain, rammed headlong into Potter, sending him off course.

There was an angry holler from the onlookers, at least, from all the onlookers, save for Thorn, that weren't Slytherin. The green-wearing portion of the stands either laughed or cheered. Thorn heard Malfoy behind her say, "Hah, look at Potter go! He's nearly fallen off twice."

Thorn turned around to face him, yet another voice rang through before hers had the chance to give a remark. "Come on, Malfoy," Raleigh said in a mocking tone, "Why don't you go play with the tough boys and get leave your toy box for younger kiddies?"

He made a soft noise of disagreement as the tall elf sat next to her black haired friend. "Hey, Thorn."

Thorn smirked, "Hey." Then Sparkie muttered something and Thorn laughed. "Sparkie wants me to tell you that you have a way with words."

Raleigh laughed. "Tell him that I say thank you. It's always good to know that a lizard appreciates my wonderful phrases." Thorn chuckled, but then a sudden worried exclamation from the school made them look up to the sky.

Harry's broom was making violent lunges, nearly throwing the young player off. Thorn's brow furrowed and she looked to the teachers stands. She was surveying them, trying to spot the large purple turban, but then she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned back to see Maken. "Thorn!" His eyes showed worry and suspicion.

Then she muttered one word before she turned back to the stands, "Quirrell." Soon she spotted him, but she couldn't make anything out from her distance.

"What's going on?" Raleigh asked, also looking to the area where the professors were sitting.

Thorn sighed. "I'll explain later… Just… can you see Professor Quirrell from where you are?" Thorn turned to the elf, who looked back and nodded. "Good… tell me, what's he doing?"

Raleigh looked back into the stand. "Be warned though. My vision isn't as great as the rest of my species." Then she concentrated and said, "He's… Muttering, none-stop… Doesn't seem like anyone's noticed, though."

Thorn sighed. Then she looked to Sparkie, who had flown off and was speeding, invisibly, towards the young boy on the broomstick. He had suddenly been flung off and was now holding on with one hand. Then she looked back to Raleigh, who was looking towards her, and said, "Now, find Severus, Professor Snape. What's he doing?"

The elf looked back up to the crowd while Thorn went into Sparkie's mind to find him holding only Potter's sleeve, trying desperately to keep him on the broom. The lizard, being invisible, was the only thing that was able to even touch the player. Whenever any one else got near him the broom would suddenly jump up. Then Raleigh said, "He's doing the same thing… Muttering under his breath… What in the heck are they playing at?"

Yet Thorn heaved a sigh of relief. She felt Maken's hand come to her shoulder, as if asking her what was going on. Then she muttered. "Severus is countering the curse." Maken removed his hand and nodded, but his worry was not gone. It seemed that Severus's counter-curse was not as strong as whatever dark magic that the Defense Professor was using.

Raleigh turned to Thorn and said, "Okay, I'm tired of being in the dark… After this we gotta talk somewhere."

Thorn nodded. "Alright, follow me to the forest then."

Maken nodded. "I'm coming, too. Cade and Celestial will be alright without us."

Suddenly the rapid jerking of the broom stopped and Harry pulled himself back onto the Nimbus. Sparkie darted back to them and reappeared on Thorn's shoulder. "That was close…" he muttered. Thorn agreed.

Yet that little incident, that nearly cost Harry his life, was soon forgotten as he sped towards the earth. Then he tumbled onto the ground and nearly lost his lunch, to which Raleigh could be heard muttering, "Well, that's nice…"

Then he coughed and a little golden ball fell into his hands. It took the surrounding students a moment to register what had just happened, but soon enough a majority of the school, minus the Slytherins, began to cheer. Thorn took the arms of both of her friends and said, "Let's get out of here, before all the commotion dies down and we could be seen."

Somehow they managed to get through the crowd and out onto the field, where the three of them preceded to sprint across the field to the forest. "Where are we going, exactly?" Thorn heard Raleigh ask as she followed the Slytherin and Gryffindor through the dark, looming trees.

"To the only place that we will be safe from anything and everything hiding in these woods," she answered as she caught sight of a clearing ahead of them. Not long later they emerged into the small field. Raleigh gasped quietly as she spotted the large mass of black scales that was Fang.

"A dragon? Oh yeah, we're really safe…" she whispered to herself.

Thorn smirked. "Yes, but a very tame dragon. In fact, the only tame dragon, thanks to a little ability of mine." She led the two of them over to where the dragon was laying, asleep. "Fang?" She lowly hissed.

His black head snapped up instantly and turned around, his violet eyes searching for whoever had spoken to him. When he saw Thorn he growled in happiness and leapt up, his long tail swishing and knocking a tree over. "Thorn!" He roared back as he slowly made his way towards her. "We've needed to talk to you, but Shadow couldn't get through."

Thorn sighed. She hadn't thought that they'd need to talk to her, so she'd closed all mind passages save for Sparkie's. "What's been going on?"

The dragon heaved a huge sigh, smoke coming from his nostrils. Thorn sighed, he'd be breathing fire soon… Better watch out. "Thorn, something has been attacking unicorns." Sparkie, who was listening on Thorn's shoulder, looked around, as if trying to spot anything that could even _catch_ a unicorn.

She sighed. "Okay… Is Shooter okay? He didn't get attacked, did he?"

Fang shook his head. "No, but he is really worried about everything. He hardly strays from my side anymore, nor do Feather or Shadow. Talon and Fell have patrolled the forest, looking for whatever it is. They haven't found anything."

Thorn nodded. "Alright… Where are they now?"

Fang snorted and looked behind him. "This thing only comes at night, so they roam around during the day, trying to find the best paths to safety, just in case…"

She rubbed her temples. "Okay… I'll call Shadow later, right now I have to explain things to my new friend." She ran a hand over Fang's large, purple eye and walked over to the two others, who looked relatively baffled.

"Well," Raleigh said, "Thanks to Maken that made some sense. Sparkie taught you to speak to every reptile? That will come in rather handy." She looked to Thorn, her eyes showing something like a knowing hint. "Parstletongue, then?"

Thorn nodded. "Indeed…" Then she sat down on the grass and watched as the others did the same. "Now, I assume that you want to know what's going on with Quirrell?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'd like to know why my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was probably trying to jinx Potter's broom." Thorn took note that Raleigh said the name 'Potter' with just as much dislike as Severus did.

She nodded. "Well, the Sorcerer's stone is being kept in the school." Raleigh's eyes seemed to widen at that and she leaned forwards. "And Quirrell is after it. Something about him, some strange thing… He seems to be connected to Voldemort."

Raleigh laughed. "Tom Riddle? I can't believe that he changed his name, hoping to _invoke fear into the hearts of the wizarding world._"

Thorn chuckled. "That's what I've been saying…"

Maken cleared his throat, seeming to be rather confused. "Er… go on Thorn, with the Quirrell thing."

Thorn nodded. "Yes. Quirrell is after the stone, probably to give it to his master, and make the elixir of life. We can't let him get it. Severus and I are watching him. Severus is my—"

"Uncle," Raleigh cut in, "I know." Thorn nodded. She should have figured. Raleigh was over a hundred years old, she would have known about Thorn… she'd probably read the article. Thorn sighed. She'd know all about what happened… Oh well, not the time to think about that.

"Yes," she continued. "Severus and I have been watching Harry, and Quirrell, to make sure that he didn't try anything, and to make sure that Harry was never alone with him."

Raleigh nodded. "Alright. I have one more question." Thorn prepared for the worst, something about her past, but all the elven girl said was, "What were you and your dragon talking about?"

Thorn almost sighed in relief. "I have many pets. A unicorn, pegasus, thestral, hippogriff, and, by a strange breeding incident, a pegacorn. Something has been killing unicorns, and Shooter is petrified about it. Which reminds me…" she opened the connection with Shadow, as shallow as it was, and called to her.

The pegacorn was frantic, and bombarded the Slytherin with questions. Thorn calmed the cross-breed down and told her to get the others and come to Fang's restricted area. When that was done she turned back to Raleigh and Maken. "The others will be here soon. If you don't want to wait for me you can go ahead and leave. I have to stay for a while and sooth my poor, traumatized unicorn."

Raleigh laughed. "Nah, it's alright. I'll stay. I wanna see what a pegacorn looks like…"

Maken laughed. "Yeah, well, there's probably a party going on at my common room, so I might wanna get going."

Thorn nodded. "I understand." Then the five horse-like creatures either flew or ran in and Thorn said, "Here, Talon will lead you to the border of trees." The hippogriff, though slightly surprised that he was called upon as soon as he'd appeared nodded and trotted besides Maken. The Gryffindor waved to them as he disappeared beyond the veil of trees, the black form of Talon beside him.

_Thorn!_ The distant voice of Shadow rang through both Sparkie's and his friend's minds. _I've been trying to talk to you forever! Something's killing the unicorns, Thorn, and drinking their blood! _Then the large head of the pegacorn swished as she caught sight of Raleigh, who waved, and she said, _Thorn… Who's that?_

Thorn chuckled. _That, my friend, is Raleigh Sawyer. She's a first year, a Ravenclaw, and an elf. _

Shadow whinnied and not long later said, _She's nice. She's a good person to be friends with, Thorn._ Apparently the mixed blood had spoken to the new Ravenclaw.

The Slytherin nodded, _Indeed she is. Now, don't you guys worry. As Fang has told me, whatever it is that is attacking unicorns only comes at night, and you have been keeping close to him. Nothing in its right mind would attack you while in the company of a dragon._

_They have strayed awfully close, Thorn_, Shadow muttered, but then she said, _Yet you must be right. The only reason Daddy is still alive would be the fact that Fang is here…_

Thorn smirked, _Don't worry…_

Thorn turned to Raleigh, who was watching Sparkie fly in circles out of boredom. "We can go now." Thorn said as she walked towards the elven girl sitting on the grass.

Raleigh laughed quietly. "You're friends don't know, do they?" Sparkie froze in mid air and almost fell to the ground as he stared at Thorn, wondering what she would do.

Thorn was taken aback at first, but soon she heaved a sigh and said, "No." Then she looked up to the elf and said, "You read the article nine years ago, didn't you?"

She gave a cocky smirk. "Well, when, in reality, you are hundreds of years old but appear to be three there's not much you can really do. So I read."

Thorn nodded. "If you've read the article why are you even here? Don't you believe what the foul woman tried to call the truth?" Sparkie flopped onto Thorn's shoulder as she spoke, his large, webbed wings draping down her shoulder and back.

Yet the elf merely laughed at her statement. "No way! I was raised better than that! Well, at least, my father, I guess you could call him, told me everything. See, he was locked up then, still is, in fact, but I got to visit him. He read the article and, though he's never liked your uncle, he told me that it was all a lie. He knew your mother, apparently, and your father. He said that they were not bad people, as the article proclaimed. And, though he swears that he will deny this under pain of death, he doubts that Professor Snape would have even considered teaching you to follow Voldemort."

Thorn was generally as surprised as she could be. "Who is your… father?" Thorn asked rather calmly, while Sparkie stared at the elven girl.

Raleigh smirked. "Sirius Black."

This took Thorn off guard and Sparkie nearly fell from her shoulder. "Black?" she said bitterly. Now she was even more surprised. Sirius Black, out of all the wizards in the world, stood up for her, her parents, and, most amazingly of all, Severus.

Raleigh laughed, though her face remained emotionless, save for her eyes. "For some reason, even though you hate my daddy, I don't dislike you, Thorn."

Thorn chuckled quietly, "And even though you're related to that foul man—no offence—I don't dislike you."

Raleigh snickered. "Technically I'm not really related to him. When my race was killed off, only two remained. My first guardian and I. He died not long later, though, and, even though I was over two hundred years old, I was still treated like the baby that I looked like, and was given to Da—Sirius. It was fun, until Harry was born…"

Thorn noticed that hateful hint in her voice. Then she continued. "But that's not really important. I'd like to know the real reason. Not all that 'hate and spite filled' crap that Skeeter tried to pull off. You're story has always perplexed me, Thorn, and now's time that I learn the truth."

Thorn nodded. Then she went into how she had been named as Voldemort's heir, the dark mark, and the curses. When she was finished with her story the sky was dark. "So," Raleigh muttered, "Your mother didn't rightfully explain the reasons that you should use the curses… That's the main thing there… Oh, and I've been wondering, is that thing on your left arm to hide the dark mark?"

Thorn nodded. "And to catch the blood that I loose when the mark is touched and run it back into my bloodstream."

Raleigh nodded. "That makes sense. When are you going to tell Maken, Cade, and Celestial?"

Thorn shook her head. "I don't know. Not yet, at the least. They're not ready, and, I'm afraid, they might not understand." Raleigh nodded. After a moment of silence Thorn asked a question that she, and the rest of wizard-kind had been wondering, "What happened to the elves? How were they killed off?"

Raleigh smirked. "Well, long, long ago, before I was even fifty years old, there was a huge war between all the creatures of the elven lands. Wizards and witches were left in the dark, for the elves didn't want to seek their aid. Well, that turned out to be a mistake, for we were attacked by everything; vampires, veela, even some districts of merpeople. We didn't stand a chance. Only my companion, Hutser, and I lived through it. He was mortally wounded, and threw the years his condition didn't get any better. You see, elves such as Hutser, who was one of the eldest in our village, do not heal quickly without elven medicine. Hundreds of years later he had found the one person that he was confident in helping raise me. Go figure, though, he had to be locked in Azkaban not long later. Then I was put in the care of Mrs. Wilcox, but I go to visit Daddy often."

Thorn nodded. "You seem to have been unscathed in the battle, though. That in itself is an accomplishment." Sparkie nodded, but Raleigh shook her head.

"I didn't come out unscathed." The elf pointed to her left eye, and, for the first time, Thorn noticed a very, very thin, inch-long scar cutting over the light azure orb. Another strange thing was that the scar seemed to slice through the eye itself, not just the skin. "Since we didn't have elven medicine the wound didn't heal well, and now I see only in black and white through this eye, and my vision is blurred unless at the perfect point."

Thorn nodded while Sparkie flew up to Raleigh's face to get a better look at her eye. "That must be rather bothersome."

Raleigh shrugged, "After two or three hundred years you get used to it. Sparkie, do you mind?" The lizard gave a guilty smile and flew back into Thorn's robes. "Well, we should get to the school. It's getting dark and you might want to talk to your uncle."

Thorn nodded. "Yes." Then they stood and walked threw the woods and to the castle.

Ten minutes later Thorn was sitting in Severus's office, discussing the game. Well, not really the game, the occurrences of the game. "You saved Harry Potter's life; you do know that, right?" Thorn muttered as she stroked Sparkie's head.

Severus nodded. "Yes. As much as I may despise the child, I will not let Quirrell kill him, not if it means bringing Voldemort back to power."

Thorn nodded. "Of course. What caused the curse to stop?"

Severus shook his head. "I'm not sure. All I know is that somehow my robes caught flame. After that little panic I looked up to the sky to see Potter making a strait path to the ground."

His niece nodded. "I see. At least you kept Potter alive."

Severus sighed and nodded. "I'm not quite sure if I'll always be proud of that accomplishment."


	24. Christmas Desires

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did Severus would play a much larger role.**

**Author's Note: The name pretty much explains itself. Yeah. I changed the summary! Yay! Heh, okay, done now.**

Chapter Twenty-four

Christmas Desires

Into December Severus's leg healed completely, much to Thorn's relief. The weather became cold and snow fell into huge mounds on the fields. Very few owls could make it through the snowy storms, and the few that did had to be nursed back to health before they could take off again.

Thorn was staying at the school. She didn't really have anywhere to go, unless both she and Severus returned home. Maken was staying as well, while Oliver had decided to go home for the holidays, eager to practice on his own Quidditch pitch. Cade's father was going to be out of town, though he had wished that Cade could have come home and seen him and Melissa. Celestial was going to stay with her Uncle Albus. Raleigh had originally planned on going home, at the start of the year when she wasn't exactly happy with those who were in her house (Cho, for example) but after she and Thorn became friends, along with Maken and the rest of the group, she thought that there was no harm in staying as well.

Well, at lunch the day before students would be leaving for break a very tired, hurt, and disgruntled owl made its way down to the tables. It was a strange event, for it wasn't time for the post and it was a single barn owl. Sparkie watched it's decent into the house tables, which were at the fullest they would be for a very long time, and landed, or rather fell, into a plate of pumpkin pasties right in front of Piper Ceaira. Startled, the blonde took the note from the owl's leg as Celestial rushed forward to retrieve it from the pasty plate.

Maken watched uneasily as her bright blue eyes scanned the paper quickly. Then, out of the blue, she broke into tears and darted from the hall. Thorn and Raleigh exchanged curious looks, kinda, as Maken sped after her. Then the voice of Cade snapped them back to reality. "Sparkie! Follow him!"

The lizard saluted and flew off, halfway out of the hall transferring to an invisible state. Cade took out his wand and muttered, "_Sparkify!_" to the cover of his potions book. Since the beginning of the last year every one of Thorn's friends knew Sparkie's spell.

"Cade!" Celestial scolded as she stroked the worn-out owl's head. "What in heaven's name are you doing?"

"Shh!" he muttered as he got close to the parchment, "I'm trying to listen!"

Thorn sighed. "_Sparkify!_" she said as she pointed her wand to his ears. His eyes lightened and he smiled a thanks to her.

"Thorn!" Celestial said harshly, "Don't help him! That's invading Maken's privacy!"

Raleigh made a soft noise of annoyance. "Like we care!" The elf pointed her light-wood wand to her ears and muttered the spell as well. Thorn smirked and did, too. Finally, Celestial, with a sigh, gave in and followed suit. They came in just as Maken entered the portrait, Sparkie, in his rush, ran into it, and then slipped under before it closed all the way.

"Piper!" Maken said as he dashed next to her on the couch. The four people watching were all huddled over the book, attracting some very strange looks. "What's wrong?" He asked, his voice full of concern.

She sniffled and Sparkie flew to the top of the fireplace to get a better look. "I'm fine, Maken…" she whispered.

He shook his head and scooted closer to his friend. "No, you're not. Running from the Great Hall crying is not fine. What's going on?"

She gave a small smirk and a hiccup. "It's a family thing… serious… and I can't go home for the holidays…" She wiped her eyes, but only succeeded in allowing passage for more tears to fall.

Maken's face fell and he put an arm over her shoulders. The view shook for a short moment as Sparkie tried desperately not to laugh. "It'll be okay, Piper… Don't worry. You can spend Christmas with me."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "You mean it?"

He nodded. "Of course I do."

The rest of the time they just sat together on the couch, and, eventually Sparkie got bored and flew back to the hall. Thorn took the spell off of herself as the others did and cleared the book from Sparkie's view, seeing as they now saw themselves getting closer and closer.

"Maken is SO gonna get hell for this!" Cade said as he sat back down and took a large bite of a feathery pasty. His gleeful face fell to a disgusted look as he spat a mouthful of feathers and cake onto the floor. Sparkie and Raleigh laughed.

Celestial smiled, "It was cute! You shouldn't ruin it by mocking him! Besides, then he'd know that you were spying, and get his own sweet revenge later on." She gave her fellow Gryffindor a knowing look and the pointy-headed boy shrugged an agreement.

Then a sharp clicking turned all of their attention to the entrance of the hall, where the pink-robed Taffy Trelawney was walking to her table. They heard a snicker and looked one table over to see Mikey Corvin disappear under it.

Suddenly Taffy's robes wound themselves around her feet and she fell face first onto the ground. Cade, Raleigh, and Sparkie laughed, Thorn smirked, and Celestial leapt up to see if Taffy was alright. Mikey watched from under his table, as if waiting for Taffy to do something. She stood up, brushed herself off, and cheerfully said, "Oops! Clumsy me! I really must be more careful!" Then she joined her friends at her table. Mikey smacked his head on the table and said something like, "She wasn't mad?"

The next day the majority of the school had boarded the train and was on their way home. Luckily for Thorn that included everyone in her dormitory but Dreara. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle left as well. Christmas Eve Thorn spent time with Severus, sitting in front of a fire in his office and just talking. Sparkie was sitting on the hearth, his large wings spread out over the stone floor, letting the heat absorb into his body.

The next morning she woke early, Dreara's silent sleeping ways catching Thorn's ever alert ears as she quietly dressed in her warmest robes, for the halls were cold as ice. Then she grabbed her small pile of wrapped packages and descended into the cold common room. With a flick of her wand a roaring fire was born into the cold wood and Sparkie crawled into Thorn's robes to keep his little reptile form warm.

This year she had five gifts: one from Maken, one from Raleigh, one from Celestial, one from Cade, and one from Severus. First she took the one that Cade had gotten her. It was a book called _Mysterious, but not Tedious Magical Items._ Wow, a book that she didn't have, that was beginning to be a difficult thing to manage.

The next gift was from Raleigh. She ripped the wrapping off and opened the box to see another book that she didn't have. This one was called, _Dangerous Defenses._ An oxymoron if she ever saw one. She placed the thick, heavy volume on the table next to her other one and picked up Celestial's present.

Well, as you could have guessed, it was another book. This one was called _A Modern Guide to Ancient Curses._ Again it was set next to the other two on the table. Then she opened Maken's. It, surprisingly, was not a book. He had gotten her a very nice set of potion's vials, a snake etched into each one of them. She smirked and looked through them. Seven, and each was a different size. She set them aside and moved onto her final gift. It was from Severus.

She carefully removed the black wrapping and took out a rather large, black leather case. She opened it and smirked. It was a potions care set. There was a collapsible, steel cauldron, some assorted ingredients and a few empty compartments for ones that she might want to add. More vials, and more places to put her own vials. A rather pricy gift, and it was very, very durable.

She was still looking through her new potions kit when a stifled yawn from behind her made her turn sharply. Dreara had come down the stairs, in her nightgown that was as tad too short. "Rose? What in the world are you doing up so early?"

Thorn smirked. "I could ask you the same question." Her dorm mate rolled her eyes and walked down to the other side of the room. Thorn quickly placed her vials from Maken into the kit and gathered her books into her arms. She felt Sparkie move slightly at her collar as she stood up to go put her things away. When in the dormitory she placed the books on her bed stand and securely locked the potion's kit in her trunk. Then she picked up the book that Cade had gotten her. She'd read that one, first.

Placing a hand over the lump near her neck that was Sparkie, Thorn descended back into the common room, her new book in hand. When she entered she saw Dreara sitting near the fire. Her fellow Slytherin didn't look up from the warming flames. The two had since accustomed themselves not to speak often.

Thorn sat on the couch, opened her book, and began to read. The items were listed in alphabetical order. That was a good thing. When she wanted to look something up all she had to do was flip to the letter. And so she began to read…

It was five hours later when she went into the great hall. It was now ten, still a bit early for Maken to be up, but perhaps someone was there. She was already to the 'E's' in her new book. When she threw open the heavy doors she noticed that none of her four friends were there. She did, however, spot Mikey Corvin, a few of his friends, and Taffy Trelawney surrounded by many people, all whom held similar looks. The Slytherin grudgingly entered the hall and walked to her table. No sooner than she's sat down did the hyper-as-ever form of Mikey appear next to her. Sparkie's head emerged from the neck of her shirt, looking down at all the bacon on the table.

"Hi, Thorn!" he exclaimed excitedly. She nodded just as Sparkie leapt from her collar into the plate of bacon. The young Hufflepuff gave a slightly disturbed look and said. "Uh… anyways… What's up?"

Thorn glanced at him from over her book and lowly said, "Nothing, I'm just reading."

"Ah… Yah know all those people that the Trelawney girl is with?" She looked over her shoulder to the Hufflepuff table and shook her head. "Yeah, well, they're ALL her sisters or brothers! Not even all of them are here, either!" Thorn cocked an eyebrow and Mikey nodded ecstatically.

She sighed and looked back to her book. Then Mikey snickered. "Here we go…" Thorn looked back to him just as he used a spell. Taffy was checking her face in a hand mirror, and, just as the spell was about to hit, one of her brothers called her name. She turned her head to talk to him and the spell refracted directly off of the mirror. Mikey's maniacal chuckles were replaced by a short shriek as the enchantment backfired. His head flew back at the contact and when he looked forward again Sparkie, who had been watching from his bacon plate, broke into hysterical laughter. The first year's face was purple.

Thorn smirked and shook her head as she turned back to her book. Mikey ran a hand over his face and darted from the hall. Then the three Gryffindors came in. "Hey, Thorn!" Celestial said as she took her seat at the table. Thorn nodded and sat next to Maken as he took his seat, too. Then Raleigh came into the room and everyone stared at her for a moment.

She was dressed differently. She wore black jeans, and a white tee-shirt. Also, she had arm long silver gloves with fingers that cut off halfway down the fingers. The tops of them went past her shoulders in a tall point to the bottom of her ear. "Ooh!" Celestial sighed, "That's a lovely outfit, Raleigh!"

The elven girl smirked, but her eyes showed pride, "Thanks. It was my favorite one at home, but I forgot to pack it. Mrs. Wilcox sent it to me with my Christmas gift."

Maken nodded. "That is so cool… I like the arm things…"

Thorn agreed and Cade said, "Are they, like, special?"

Raleigh shrugged. "I guess you could say so. I read somewhere that only elven warriors wear them. It's a sign of they're strength and all that."

Thorn nodded. "I also read in a book that I have," (she ignored Maken's comment of "Which one?"), "That some elves are tattooed when they're young if they are thought to have the ability to be warriors…"

Raleigh nodded and pulled her right glove down to her wrist. Cade's eyes widened as he leaned over the table to look at her arm. There were intricate designs climbing up the length of the skin, different symbols in a different language. The colors varied greatly, aside from the fact that they were all darkened. "They're on my other arm, too."

"Wow…" Celestial murmured, "That's… so cool…"

Raleigh smirked. "Thanks." Sparkie leapt from the plate of bacon that he had been feasting on and flew to Thorn's shoulder, to get a better look at the amazing designs up her arm. "Wow… Thorn, can I get a tattoo?" he asked quietly.

Thorn shook her head. "The needle might go right through you, Sparkie," she hissed. His eyes widened in fear at the very mention of the word 'needle' and he flew back to his bacon, muttering something like, "Ain't no one gonna stick a needle in me…" as he bit into one of the juicy strips.

Raleigh pulled the glove back up. Then the talk changed to what people received for Christmas. Thorn listened quietly as she continued to read. Then Cade's voice addressed her. "So, Thorn, you like the book I got you?" She nodded. "How far into it are you?"

She looked up from her page and said, "In the "E's." The Mirror of Erised." Celestial gasped, but the others continued to listen to Thorn. "It's a strange mirror that seems to show you what you desire most. It's dangerous, too, because you can become entranced by it, your longing for whatever lies within its glass forcing you to return to it, or remain with it, until you wither away."

Celestial nodded. "Uncle Albus has it." She seemed to be talking more to herself than to the group. "It's in a classroom near the kitchens. Harry's gonna find it, Uncle Albus is sure of that." Then her face gained an amazed look and she turned her eyes onto her friends. "Oh no! Pretend that you didn't hear that! No one's supposed to know!"

Cade and Raleigh smiled mischievously and stood from their spots. Maken looked to them, paused, and followed. Thorn, with nothing better to do, did the same, and took an arguing Sparkie away from his wondrous bacon. "No!" Celestial said as they began to walk from the hall, all four of them having the same thing in mind. "Please, _please_ don't go! No one's supposed to know!"

Cade shrugged. "It's not like there are that many people here to find it, anyways, right? It'll probably be moved before the breaks over, anyway." The pointy-haired Gryffindor lead the way, followed by Raleigh, Thorn and Maken in her wake, and Celestial not far behind, pleading them no to go. The walk to the corridor was not a long one. The group of five kids and a lizard soon found the empty classroom, a huge mirror, that reached to the ceiling, sitting, misplaced, in the center of the room. It had a sumptuous golden frame, and was on two clawed feet. They stood in the doorway, most amazed by the beautiful mirror ahead of them.

Thorn stepped closer, the rest of the group in her wake. Then she read the inscription along the top of the frame. "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." Sparkie cocked his head and looked into the mirror. Nothing special…

"What does that mean?" Celestial asked, suddenly not bothering to try to pry them away from the strange item.

Thorn shook her head. "I don't know…"

"I only see me," Sparkie muttered.

"That's because," Thorn answered in human tongue, "You're not alone in front of it. All of us are with you…" Then she turned to the others. "Who's first?"

"Me!" Sparkie said as he leapt up, but they ignored him.

"I'll go," Maken said humbly. They agreed, all save for Sparkie, who was complaining loudly about not being the first one. The Gryffindor positioned himself in front of the reflective plane and stared at his reflection. After a moment he said, "Its me and Oliver! We're on some famous Quidditch team, he's the captain, and the keeper…" he paused, and continued to look at his desire. Then Cade came forward.

"My turn!" Maken nodded and stepped away, his eyes staying on the mirror until he no longer saw his heart's desire.

As soon as Cade stepped before the mirror his face fell. His eyes, usually full of life, dimmed with sadness. He placed one hand up to the mirror and touched something, and sighed. "What is it, Cade?" Celestial finally asked.

He looked back to her, his dark blue eyes seeming on the edge of tears. "Its… my mother…" Celestial's head hung down and Maken nodded sadly. Thorn, incapable of showing emotion, just as Raleigh was, did nothing, though the elves eyes did show utter pity for the Gryffindor. He looked back up to the mirror, and Thorn stepped up besides him, making the form of his mother disappear to his eyes.

"Remember what I said," she muttered silkily, "This mirror could be the death of you… do not let yourself waist away…"

He nodded. "You're right… Here… it's your turn…" he walked away solemnly, still effected by seeing his mother again. His hand went to the bracelet on his left arm and he subconsciously held it, eyes staring into nothing as he thought.

Thorn sighed and looked to Sparkie, who stared determinedly back, not wanting to be the one to move. When the look in her eye told him only too clearly, though, that she was not moving, he grudgingly flew to Celestial's shoulder. The Slytherin rolled her eyes and looked back to the mirror, and the sight that came to her eyes made her smirk.

There he was… dead… on the floor in front of her… his body in tangles. How sweet a victory. Her wand was raised ahead of her, as if she had just killed him, the Dark Lord Voldemort. She stared at the lifeless figure for a long time, her usually emotionless eyes held the very smallest hint of sheer pleasure.

Then the voice of Maken snapped her attention away from the fantasy that the mirror held. "Thorn? What do you see?"

She looked back to her desire and said, "Voldemort is dead." She heard Celestial shudder. Maken nodded, not surprised in the least.

Then Cade said, "Okay, I know that everyone hates that guy… but you seem to hate him more than anyone else I know."

Thorn nodded and stepped back from the mirror, still seeing what she desperately wanted to happen. "I do… I have reasons for my loathing…" she left it at that, though, and stepped back so that she no longer did see the pain stricken look on Voldemort's hideous face.

Sparkie leapt up and began to fly towards the mirror, but Thorn caught him in mid air and Celestial rushed to take her spot in front of the mirror. Sparkie cursed as he settled on Thorn's shoulder.

Celestial had a similar reaction as Cade's. Her face was full of sorrow, and her eyes full of tears. When they questioned her she said, "I see my mother too, but I also see a man… I can't make out his face, his whole body is shadowed, but he must be my father…" Thorn nodded. After all, Celestial's mother was insane, and her father was… well, unknown. A stifled sob came from Celestial's throat as Maken pried her away from the mirror, where she did as Cade was, sat back and thought.

Then, before Sparkie even had the chance to get off of Thorn's shoulder, Raleigh darted forwards and stood before the mirror. Her emotionless face did not hide the pain that was in her eyes. The look of longing, and despair still shone through. Before they asked her what it was that she saw, she said, "I'm in the forest, the forest that the elves used to live in, and I'm surrounded by my family. There's my dad, and my older brother, Sydney, and my mother…" She paused and looked back to the others, of whom only Maken and Thorn were listening. "I miss it…" Then a solitary tear made its path down her face, from the unscathed eye, and met its fate upon the stony floor.

Thorn nodded. "I know…" Then Sparkie darted to Raleigh's feet and began to push on her ankle, urging her away so that he could see into the mirror. She sighed and did as he wished, standing next to Maken.

When Sparkie stood alone in front of the Mirror of Erised his eyes widened and his mouth dropped opened. A look of total joy on his reptilian features. "What's he see?" Raleigh asked Thorn, who sighed and shook her head.

"Bacon."

Maken and Raleigh laughed, then turned they're attention back to Sparkie, who was staring at the mirror with ecstasy on his face. Then, suddenly, the lizard leapt up and flew directly into the glass. He made a soft sound of pain and flopped back onto the stone floor. Then he stood back up and pressed his little face against the mirror, as if trying to fall in.

Thorn smirked and picked the lizard up from his tail. He struggled violently, trying desperately to get back to the heaven that was bacon. She turned to the others, still clutching the frantic form of Sparkie in her hand, and said, "We should get out of here, the Mirror of Erised is not something to fawn over." She looked pointedly at the lizard who was not paying attention, "Come on."

She tapped Celestial's shoulder to tell her that they were leaving, and Maken brought Cade back to reality as well. Raleigh led the way out, and, to try to lighten Cade's mood, Maken suggested that they have a snowball fight, which they did.

The snowball fight seemed to drag Cade out of his solemn mood, and Celestial as well, once she got hit in the head with one and had to seek revenge on Maken. Raleigh was involved as well, having excellent aim as an elf, she never missed her target. Thorn was the only one that wasn't in the battle, for even Sparkie had tried to play, but his snowballs were about the size of raisins and didn't really have an effect when they hit Maken.

Thorn glanced across the field once to see another war waging. It seemed to be with the Weasley children, since they're flaming red hair could be made out from the snow, and Harry Potter must have been with them.


	25. Christmas Mirror Fun

**Disclaimer: Ah, ya all know what I'm gonna say! But again, many lines in here are those that JK Rowling wrote (seeing as its based IN the books, so, yeah) **

**Author's Note: Well, this was a fun chapter to write, I hope you like it! Sparkie's great in this one, so, be warned! **

Chapter Twenty-five

Christmas Mirror Fun

Dinner was wonderful. There was so much food that there was no way that they could finish it all in their small numbers. Sparkie, however, was not pleased. He pouted through bites of turkey, dinner rolls, and even the deserts, every once in a while muttering, "All that bacon…" Thorn sighed.

There were also wizard crackers, that, when pulled, let loose white mice and strange hats. Thorn felt something drape over her ears and removed said object to find a large, black top hat. She looked behind her to Maken, who was staring at the ceiling in an all too guilty look. "What?" he asked when he noticed her accusatory stare. She sighed and rammed it over his head, making him tumble off of his seat. Then she noticed Piper, who was sitting in the spot that Thorn usually did. The blonde was sending her a deadly glare and Thorn rolled her eyes and sat back down.

_Yah know what…_ Sparkie said, for a moment forgetting his wonderful bacon dream, _I don't think she likes you that much, Thorn._

_Where'd you get that idea?_ the Slytherin asked sardonically.

After dinner Thorn went back to her common room, and sat idly by the fire and read her book. Now she was in the "I's." Sparkie himself was sitting above the fire, a malevolent look to his eyes, and it was obvious that he was planning something. "You are not going to that mirror," Thorn said suddenly as she turned the page in her book.

He made a small, 'Hmp!' sound, and turned his back to her. She chuckled monotonously and stood. She plucked the lizard from his perch and placed him on her shoulder. Then she climbed the stairs to the dormitory got into bed for a good nights sleep.

Which she never got. Thorn woke up suddenly late at night, and looked around. Sparkie had woken her, with a loud cursing exclamation. She looked under her blankets, but the little reptile wasn't there. She sighed and thought, _Sparkie, you get you're scaly behind back in here!_

The little reptile was quite surprised. That had been the closest thing to vulgar he had ever heard Thorn say. He rubbed his head from where he had accidentally run into a suit of armor in the dark corridor. He shook his head. _Nuh uh! I gotta see my bacon just ONE more time…_

Thorn sighed and sat up in bed, carefully making sure that her curtains were tightly drawn, and took out a random book from her bedside table. "_Sparkify!_" she whispered and suddenly Sparkie's sight came onto the cover. She did the same to her ear and heard the quite pitter-patter of his clawed feet on the stone floor.

_It's really cold…_ he observed as he began to crawl into the door.

Thorn nodded and said, _In the winter it generally is cold, Sparkie._

The lizard rolled his eyes and made his way towards the mirror. Thorn momentarily wondered what she would see through Sparkie's eyes in the mirror. If it would indeed show her her own desire or Sparkie's. It showed her what the lizard wanted. At first she only saw the blue and red lizard, looking rather misplaced in the reflection of the large mirror, then the reflection altered and it showed the room filled with bacon. Thorn sighed. _There… you've seen your room full of bacon. Come back now._

The lizard shook his head. _Five more minutes…_ Thorn rolled her eyes as suddenly Sparkie was nose to nose with his reflection, trying to leap into the mirror as he had hours previous. Then a sound came to both of their ears and Sparkie jumped, and suddenly became invisible. There was something in the room, Sparkie's keen ears caught the sound of quiet footsteps. He flew to the top of the mirror just as Harry Potter dropped an invisibility cloak and walked towards the mirror.

_A cloak,_ Thorn mused. Potter made his way near to the mirror. When he was before it he clapped his hand to his mouth and looked behind him. He looked as if he were in sheer shock. He slowly turned back to the mirror, and stared into it in awe.

_What does he see?_ Sparkie asked Thorn curiously.

The Slytherin shook her head. _I don't know. The only way that I could figure out would involve letting him know that he's connected to me, though he undoubtedly doesn't know who I am. It's too risky, besides, he might think that he's insane and do something drastic._ Sparkie shrugged an agreement and repositioned himself more comfortably on the ornate golden frame.

"Mom?" a whisper escaped from Potter's lips, "Dad?" Thorn and Sparkie exchanged understanding thoughts as they watched Harry press his palms against the mirror, as Sparkie had done with his head. Sparkie and Thorn watched him for about thirty minutes, but he never moved, so Sparkie sighed and began to fly from the room, yet right before he was out the door he caught a glint of bright blue, like someone's eyes, in the corner of the room, just above an unused desk.

He shrugged it off and darted from the room, ignoring the strange blue gleam that he had seen, and flew back to the Slytherin common room.

The next night Thorn sent Sparkie back to the mirror, much to his delight. When he slipped into the door both Harry and the red-head Ron were there. "See?" Harry had just muttered. Sparkie gave a quite chuckle. Harry was standing before the mirror, and his friend was off to the side.

"I don't see anything," he answered as he looked at the reflection.

"Look!" Harry insisted, as if he couldn't, or wouldn't believe that Ron could not see his family. "Look at them all… there are loads of them…"

"I only see you."

Harry seemed rather annoyed. "Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am." Then he moved aside, and Ron stepped forward. He seemed rather disappointed, because he didn't see his mother and father.

"Look at me!" the tall Gryffindor said.

"Can you see all your family standing around you?" Harry asked hopefully.

Ron shook his head. "No—I'm alone—but I'm different—I look older—and I'm head boy!" The lizard quietly flew to the top of the mirror once again.

The boy who lived was blatantly confused. "_What?_"

The carrot top continued. "I am—I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to—and I'm holding the house cup and the Quidditch cup—I'm Quidditch captain, too!" He turned his head to look to his friend. "Do you think this mirror shows the future?"

Harry seemed to be struck by sorrow and Sparkie itched to go down there and force them away so he could see his own desire. But he refrained, for Thorn warned him that if he did, he'd never get to eat bacon again. "How can it?" Harry muttered. "All of my family are dead—let me have another look—"

Ron shook his head. "You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time."

"You're only holding the Quidditch cup," Harry insisted, "What's so interesting about that? I want to see my parents."

Sparkie's keen ears caught a quite padding sound outside in the hall just before Ron warned, "Don't push me—"

Then a sudden, questioning meow came from the corridor. The two of them froze stalk still for a moment just before throwing the invisibility cloak, which had been laying on the floor, over themselves and Mrs. Norris came into the room. Sparkie watched her. They were probably wondering if she could see them, despite the cloak.

Sparkie knew that she couldn't see them, but she could probably sense them, or smell them. Thorn had the certain gift, only because she sometimes had to find him in his invisible state. Yet Mrs. Norris didn't seem to find anything amiss in the room and walked off, or maybe she was looking for Filch. Which was a thought that Ron had pondered, because he muttered, "This isn't safe—she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on."

Then he pulled Harry from the room, and Sparkie took one look into the mirror before darting back to Thorn.

"Sparkie…" Thorn muttered to him the next day. "You have to go back tonight, too." She was sitting at the Gryffindor table, next to Maken, who was next to Piper. She and Sparkie were speaking in his tongue, and getting a rather strange look from the blonde.

"Does she honestly think that she can talk to that thing?" Piper asked Maken incredulously. Thorn ignored her. Piper was a nice girl, it was just that she seemed to have something against Thorn, just like Sparkie had something against Maken. He didn't respond.

"Okay!" Sparkie said happily, "I'm liking this more and more."

Thorn shook her head. "Only because we have to know what Albus is going to say. He doesn't know about Quirrell, but we need to know about this mirror… if he wants Harry to see it then it must play an important roll." But Sparkie was hardly listening. He was too busy wishing that night would fall soon and he could look into the glorious heaven that was bacon.

This time Sparkie went earlier, wanting to beat Harry there so that he could have his own time in front of the mirror, but he nearly cursed as he saw that Harry had been able to find the room faster this time. He flew to the top of the mirror, regretting that he had come now, for he didn't see Dumbledore anywhere. Until…

So—back again, Harry?"

The sudden voice and sudden appearance of the headmaster on one of the desks made Sparkie fall over backwards in surprise and plummet from the mirror into a flump on the floor. After Thorn asked him if he was okay he leapt up and peered out from under the mirror. Luckily Potter had been to busy in his own state of shock to hear the dull thump that had come when wings and little body struck the stone floor.

"I—I didn't see you, sir," the Gryffindor muttered quietly.

The headmaster smiled. "Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you." Harry seemed relieved. Thorn gave a small thought of agreement, for Sparkie often did rather stupid things while he was in that state, such as running into the portrait of the fat lady.

"So," he continued as he slid off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry. Sparkie could have sworn that he glanced at him, even though he was invisible, "you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

Harry nodded, but said, "I didn't know it was called that, sir."

"But I expect that you've realized by not what it does?"

Potter thought, "It—well—it shows me my family—"

"And it showed your friend Ron himself as head boy." Albus added.

The Gryffindor seemed stunned. "How did you know—?"

"I do not need a cloak to become invisible," the headmaster said softly, and Sparkie realized that he must have seem him the first night, and the second at that, when he stared at his own tiny reflection. "Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"

Harry shook his head, and Sparkie wanted to shout out the word, "BACON" but Thorn had kept him quiet.

"Let me explain," Albus continued, "The happiest man on earth would be bale to use the mirror like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself, exactly as he is." He paused. "Does it help?"

There was a moment of silence, then Potter slowly said, "It shows us what we want…whatever we want…"

"Yes," the headmaster said with a small nod, "And no. It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible."

Sparkie felt Thorn give a short nod, almost a regretful one. Then the headmaster continued. "The mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry," Sparkie could have sworn that he'd seen the elderly wizard glance at him, "and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever _do_ run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Harry stood up, gathered the cloak, but, before he put it on, he turned back to the headmaster and said, "Sir—Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"

"Obviously, you've just done so," he gave a smile with a twinkling eye, "You may ask me one more thing, however."

"What do you see when you look into the mirror?"

"I?" he clarified, pointing to himself, "I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks." Sparkie almost laughed out loud, Thorn gave a short chuckle, and Harry merely stared. "One can never have enough socks. Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."

Harry nodded and left the room. Once his footsteps could no longer be heard Dumbledore sunk onto his hands and knees, close to the ground, his long silvery beard sweeping the floor. He came face to face with Sparkie and kindly muttered, "And you, Miss Rose, would do well to go to bed as well." He gave a soft wink as Sparkie nodded quickly.

Back in her dormitory Thorn chuckled and said, "To wish to dream dreams that I could never experience, Albus, or just to bring on another day that brings me one step closer to my fate?"


	26. Draco's Crush and Useless Talks

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter... Blah blah... You know the drill**

**Author's Note: Uh... yeah, I haven't updated in a while and I have a friend that was going to kill me if I didn't put a new one up soon... **

Chapter Twenty-Six

Draco's Crush and Useless Talks

Throughout the rest of the break Thorn hung around while the others held more snowball fights and such. A few days after the mirror incident Cade received a late gift from his beloved Melissa. She had gotten him a white visor, and the Gryffindor was hardly seen without it. Most of the time it was hanging from his belt loop. This little token gained Cade a new nickname from Sparkie and Maken: Visor Boy.

Not long after the break was over did Thorn get a rather unpleasant surprise; one that cast Sparkie into a laughing seizure for months. After a long day of classes, Thorn was sitting by the fire, her book, in her hands. She was now near the end, reading about the Sorcerer's Stone. Rather ironic, really. Sparkie was resting on her lap, curled into a little blue ball.

Suddenly the mysterious Slytherin felt a tap on her shoulder. She ignored it. Usually when she didn't respond, whoever it was got the hint and left. But not this pest. The tap came again and she sighed, looking behind her to see Draco Malfoy standing over her with a cocky smile. She rolled her eyes and transferred her gaze back to the pages.

He cleared his throat, as if nervous, or unsure, about what he was about to do. This made Thorn think one thing, but she kept her mouth tightly shut. Not even _she_ would dare to let that slip past her lips. After another quiet moment he said, "So… You're reading?"

Thorn nodded quietly as Sparkie lifted his head to get a good look at Draco. _He has a big, fake smile on his face…_ the lizard thought, _Wonder what he's pullin' at…_

"So… is it, erm… is it a good book?"

She sighed, turned the page, and said, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

He made an annoyed sound and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine, Rose, if you must know…" With the hateful tone in which her last name was said she felt an air of relief. "You see, Thorn," he said more kindly, as if trying to befriend her, "There's this… girl… and I think that she's… really, _really_ soft on the eyes, if you catch my drift." He gave a strange smile and continued. "Well… I guess you could say that, I fancy this girl, and I was wondering if you could help me…"

Thorn rolled her eyes. Dreara? Phillis? Maybe, if he was insane enough, Antonette? Surely he must have been speaking to someone in her own house… Or so she'd thought. "Well?" He insisted, "Will you?"

She sighed. "Who is it?" Another page was flipped in the volume.

"Raleigh Sawyer."

Thorn's eyes froze within the pages. Sparkie, who was listening intently, broke into a fit of nothing less than hysterical laughter. The second year looked up to her first year house mate and, the usual, emotionless gaze held a small hint of sheer amusement. "You must be joking," she said in a low, silky way.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not." His blue eyes held a glint of annoyance at the lizard, who was now rolling around the floor in a little ball, trying to ease the pain that his own laughter was inflicting in his gut.

Thorn gave a short, mocking chuckle, and said, "Well. Good luck with that, then. You are going to need it." Then she turned back to her book and began to read, as Malfoy slunk off angrily and Sparkie caught the attention of everyone in the common room.

"Please…" Sparkie managed to wheeze through another terrible fit of teary laughs. "Please let me be the one to tell her! Please, _please, **please!**_"

Thorn chuckled. "She can't understand you, Sparkie, no one can."

"I can write it!" he pleaded through harsh laughs, "PLEASE!"

The Slytherin shrugged and continued to read her book, leaving Sparkie to rejoice and roll around in peace.

The next morning Thorn was sitting at her table in the early hours, and Sparkie, who would normally be concentrating on nothing but bacon, was hardly eating as he stared at the doorway, waiting for the tall figure of Raleigh to come in.

When she did he didn't waist any time. He looked around furiously, trying to spot a quill, and a piece of parchment. He couldn't find any and, in anger, he screeched, causing the majority of the hall to look their way and also drawing Raleigh to see what was wrong. Malfoy, when he saw her coming, smoothed out his already sleek hair and tested his breath.

"What's wrong with Sparkie?" the elf asked Thorn, who was, not surprisingly, reading.

The Slytherin shook her head. "He has something to tell you."

Sparkie nodded vigorously. Then he stood on the plate, and made drastic points to Draco, then to Raleigh. The Ravenclaw stood there, eye brows cocked, and said, "Uh… right… and he won't let you tell because…?"

Thorn shrugged as Malfoy made his way over to the two of them. He stood against the table, looking rather confident with Crabbe and Goyle to back him up, now. He was trying to look cool. In fact, trying _too_ hard to look cool. And not only Sparkie and Thorn saw that. Mikey walked by, took one look at Draco, and broke into abrupt, but not as violent, laughter as Sparkie had.

The blonde looked down to him with a nasty sneer. "What's so funny, Corvin?"

The Hufflepuff stood, laughing hard still, and ran a hand through his bleached hair, revealing some of the dark brown beneath it. "It's nothing other than YOU LIKE RALEIGH!" He broke into laughter again and Draco, in a completely foul mood, told his goons to take care of him. Yet Mikey, being too fast for the bulky boys, darted around to his table, where he sat with his head on the wood, and pounded his fists into the table in his laughing fit.

Raleigh had merely watched the whole thing take place, her eyes portraying nothing but complete confusion as Draco Malfoy and his thugs walked away, grumbling. Sparkie, upset that _he_ hadn't gotten to tell Raleigh this news, sat back on his plate and took a bite of bacon.

Then Raleigh turned to the table, a strange look to her eye, as if she might accept the unspoken words that Malfoy had said. "If you are thinking about agreeing…" Thorn muttered.

Raleigh shrugged. "He may not be much now, but I have a feeling that he's gonna grow into a _fine_ man."

Thorn rolled her eyes and closed her book as the others came in. "Yes, but what about all the other 'fine men?'" The elf shrugged and agreed as they sat at the Gryffindor table next to the others.

A week later Thorn was sitting in Severus's office, finishing her Transfiguration homework. Sparkie was still describing to her the look on Draco's face when Mikey had screamed his crush to the entire school. Then the heavy door swung open and the black-clad potions master swept in. "I am going to referee the next match," he announced rather bitterly as he took his seat and began to read over some reports from the seventh years.

Thorn looked up to him. They had been talking about how to best protect Harry at the next Quidditch match, because, if they had to do the same thing that they had the previous time, only with luck would they keep him on his broom. Yet the answer that Severus had just announced didn't seem to pleasing for either of them. Neither of them was a large Quidditch fan, and this would probably be taken as an attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor team by the other professors.

"Are you sure that it's the only way?" Thorn asked as she shushed Sparkie, for now he was charading the entire episode from the previous week to her for about the hundredth time.

He nodded. Then, with a joking, somehow self bitter laugh, he said, "You should be the one up there. You inherited the broom skills from some distant relative."

Thorn sighed. Severus had always regretted the fact that he had never been a skilled Quidditch player while he was in school. Honestly, Thorn herself didn't see the need to play Quidditch, but she was different than her uncle. She sighed and said, "If it's the only way. The Gryffindors will be furious."

Which they were. That night, after the Gryffindor team had returned from a very muddy and wet practice, Thorn, who was reading in her dormitory, heard Sparkie whimper and looked up to him to see a strange glint in his eyes. "Hello," she said to whoever was gazing out from them.

"Thorn?" Maken's voice sounded through. "Man, I gotta talk to you! Where can we meet?"

Thorn looked back up to him and said, "Well, I could go to the Gryffindor common room, but, seeing as that is against the rules—"

"And it's too risky," Maken cut her off. "So is _Sparkify_. How about…" There was silence, and Sparkie snickered at Maken's lack to think of anything.

"The forest?" Thorn suggested, but no sooner she dispersed it. "No, that's too dangerous in the dark rain… How about the room that the Mirror of Erised had been in?"

"Yeah, that works. I'll be there soon. I have seen—"

Sparkie sighed, shook his head, and muttered. "I don't wanna have _him_ talk through me…"

Thorn was scurrying about her room, gathering her cloaks and such. She quickly shoved the annoyed lizard into her pocket, pulled the hood over her dark hair, and darted from the room. She walked past the prefects, ignored them as they told her not to wander the halls at night, but, since they didn't see her face, they couldn't do anything.

She swiftly strode down the corridors, climbed staircases silently, and swept around corners without a sound. She got to the room before Maken, seeing as he had more distance to travel. When he entered the room she turned to the door and muttered, "_Colloportus!_" locking it securely behind him.

When she turned back to him he pulled her close and said, "What is it that I hear? Severus is going to referee the next match?" Thorn nodded and looked away to where the mirror had been. "Why?"

She sighed. "It's the best way to keep Potter alive. No one is going to know that his reason for refereeing is such, they'll all think that he's aiming at an unfair game."

Maken nodded quietly and released Thorn's arms as he stepped back to sit on a dusty desk. "So… what's the plan? I mean about Quirrell."

Thorn sat next to him, shoulder to shoulder, and both stared at the unclean floor as she spoke. "Well, at the moment, Severus is trying to convince Quirrell to help _him_ get the stone, just as a diversion, so he knows how far he's gotten."

Maken nodded, then asked, "Can't he just tell him that he knows about You-Know-Who? Wouldn't that force him to give in? After all, he's weak, and Quirrell's not cut out to be much, either…"

The Slytherin shook her head. "No. If he did would be suicide. After all, Voldemort will come into power once again, no matter what we try to do, and he'd—" She cut off, having just almost said, "kill him because he hadn't truly been loyal," but she caught herself. If she'd let that slip…

"He'd what?" Maken insisted.

"Nothing…" Thorn muttered, for once unable to think up a good lie to cover her blunder. She could feel Maken's eyes boring into the side of her head, but she did not clarify the matter.

"Thorn…" he muttered, almost pleadingly, but did not continue with his statement. Perhaps he knew that it was a futile task, or perhaps he accepted that she would tell him in her own time. Either way, Thorn was relieved.

"So, what's the next step? After the Quidditch match, I mean." The Gryffindor looked back to the ground, and Thorn felt his burning gaze leave her head. Sparkie, who was huddled in her pocket, peeped out, then dove back in.

"Severus has arranged a meeting between himself and Quirrell for after the match. I'm not sure whether he'll show up or not, but we are going to try." Maken nodded and the Slytherin said, "We should get back to our dormitories, we don't want you to be late to classes tomorrow."

The following days until the match seemed to have stressed out the entire Gryffindor team. Maken would continually tell her how Oliver was furious about the fact that Severus was to referee. Celestial, and Cade, who both knew nothing of Quirrell, silently accepted the fact that it wasn't an attempt to sabotage Gryffindor.

Then, the day of the match, Thorn, and Severus, received some unhappy information from Celestial. "Uncle Albus is going to attend the game!" she exclaimed. Thorn stared in slight surprise at her friends words.

"What?" she managed to say. _Dumbledore attending the match?_ She preceded to think, _If he's coming then there's no need for Severus to referee. _She sighed. He was not going to be too happy with this new fact, even if it did keep Potter alive.

"Uh, yeah," Celestial continued, seeming surprised at Thorn's reaction. "He had some free time so he figured that he might as well come. What? Is that bad?"

Thorn sighed and shook her head. "It's both good and bad…" she turned up to the head table, where the professors were eating breakfast, and quietly darted around until she was behind the table. Hardly anyone would notice her there, for the students were too busy discussing the upcoming match. Silently she came up behind her uncle and, as he turned to ask what she needed, she muttered in his ear. "Albus is coming to the match."

Severus let an inaudible sigh of annoyance and anger pass through his lips as he turned back to his plate, to see Sparkie perched upon it, feasting on, as usual, bacon. The lizard gave a guilty smile and darted to Thorn's shoulder. "I don't have to be out there…" the Potions Master muttered angrily.

Thorn nodded. "I know… Well, the match is about to begin… Good luck."

Severus didn't respond as she made her way back down to her classmates. Luckily she could sit anywhere this time, because, since her team wasn't facing the Gryffindors, she didn't have to worry about 'accidents.'

When she rejoined the group of five the halls began to empty. Sparkie flew about the heads of the crowd again as they spilled into the stands. Thorn followed her golden and scarlet clad friends, along with the blue and bronze wearing Raleigh, as they found spots high enough to see the game. Not far below them, Sparkie pointed out Harry's two friends, Ron and Hermione, along with the dumpy kid who'd fallen from the broom.

She watched as Severus angrily threw the quaffle into the air to begin the game. She watched as the players darted around the field, Potter patrolling along the top like a bird of prey. Thorn glanced back down to Severus to see one of the Weasley twins send a bludger flying at him. Sparkie must have felt the inkling of worry that Thorn either ignored or did not feel, for he muttered, "It's okay," and flew off towards Severus, invisible.

Not five minutes later, Sparkie pulling at Severus's arm, the Potions Master turned to see Harry rushing towards him. Thorn, who was following Potter's path to the ground, caught sight of a fight below her on the stands. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle against Ron and Neville Longbottom, the kid who'd fallen from the broom at the lessons, were all fighting, completely unaware that Potter was now rising up in the air, the Snitch in his palm.

The stands erupted in applause, and the Gryffindors rushed down onto the field. Thorn followed after and walked calmly to Severus, who had just spat onto the ground. When Thorn reached her angry uncle he muttered. "Well, now I have to get ready to meet Quirrell in the forest."

An hour later Thorn was resting as a black tiger in the heavy shadow under the trees, waiting for Severus to emerge from the castle. The sun was now setting, casting a reddish glow around the castle. She'd stayed outside while he'd changed into his normal robes and cloaks, not really wanting to face her classmates, who would be complaining about the match and thinking up far-fetched stories about how Potter had cheated.

Soon she saw Harry begin to walk back to the castle. She stared at him, her feline eyes narrowed slightly as she watched. Severus then sped from the heavy oak doors. He didn't seem to see Potter, who was standing out of view on the side. Yet the young Gryffindor must have known that Severus was the one under the hood, because his face contorted in a suspicious manner and he leapt into the air on the broom that he'd been carrying.

Thorn gave a small growl of annoyance and Sparkie, who'd been sleeping on the grass, was jolted awake. "What? Who? Where…?"

The Slytherin rolled her great black eyes and carefully picked Sparkie up by his tail. He hung limp in her teeth, staring around as she sped to a run. What was Potter up to? Well, he'd seen Severus, and he was probably following him. She sighed as she silently stopped, Severus speeding into the forest right in front of her nearly unseen form. Then she looked up to the sky to see Harry's form for a split second before the trees covered him again.

She shook her colossal head, Making Sparkie swish to the sides, and followed quickly after her guardian. Her keen cat ears heard the rushing of cloth on the wind as Potter spun in circles above their heads.

Then she caught sight of Quirrell in the distance. Severus stopped in front of him and pulled the hood off of his head. "So," he said icily, "you've decided to show up. I hadn't thought that you were confident enough to do so."

Thorn heard the slight creaking of a branch as Potter landed. "I-I d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…"

"Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," Severus said coldly, "Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all."

Thorn flicked her head to the side and cast Sparkie into the air. _Go find him, and distract him. _She didn't want to take a chance about Harry figuring out anything, and, if he hadn't known about the stone before, he did now.

"I-I know th-that…" Quirrell muttered. Sparkie flew into the trees and spotted Potter

"Have you figured out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?" Severus asked dangerously. The lizard looked around frantically, trying to find a way to distract the young Gryffindor.

"B-b-but Severus, I—"

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," Severus said as he took a threatening step towards him. Then the blue and red reptile saw an owl waking from its days sleep and an idea struck him.

Quirrell took a step back, and Thorn wondered what Sparkie was doing. "I-I don't know what you—"

"You know perfectly well what I mean," Severus cut him off. Sparkie dove out at the bird, startling it and making it hoot loudly. This resulted in Harry nearly falling from the branch. "I will not wait forever to get that stone, and all I need is your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting."

Thorn smirked at his bold faced lie and Quirrell said, "B-but I d-d-don't—"

"Very well," Severus said before he had time to finish. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decide where your loyalties lie."

Sparkie dove onto Thorn's shoulder as Severus pulled his hood back over his head and strode from the clearing. His niece followed swiftly and changed back to a human just before they reached the entrance. "That went well…" she muttered.

"We didn't learn a thing…" he replied angrily.


	27. Silver Blood and Crimson Fire

**Disclaimer: Do I HAVE to keep saying it? Fine... I own nothing of Harry Potter...**

**Author's note: I like the name of this chapter a lot! Yay! Hehe. My friend was gonna kill me if I didn't put this up, so... yeah... Here it is don't hurt me! Just kidding.**

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Silver Blood and Crimson Fire

Thorn kept an ever watchful eye on Quirrell as she always did in the next few weeks, and her life was relatively slow, for a while. But things turned around when she got a call from Shadow saying that Fang was beginning to cough up small flames.

She sighed. _Alright, tell him we'll be right down…_ She gathered Sparkie, who was staring into the empty fireplace in the Slytherin common room. It was spring, therefore Fang was just over half a year old. No wonder he was beginning to breathe fire. "Sparkie," Thorn told him as she sped into the entry hall, "you've got another lesson to teach Fang."

"I do?" he asked as his friend threw the doors to the castle open. Just as she did so Draco Malfoy sped in, a nasty gleeful look on his face as he glanced back at Hagrid's hut on the grounds.

Thorn's curiosity grew very slightly but she shrugged it off and proceeded to walk across the grounds. "Fang is beginning to breathe fire. You'll need to help him control it. Thank God you're somewhat like a dragon yourself."

Sparkie nodded and crawled onto her shoulder. Suddenly, though, his head snapped towards the small, wooden hut near the forest and his little lizard brow furrowed. "What?" Thorn asked quietly as she too looked towards the home. The windows were tightly shut and some smoke was coming from the chimney. _Why is his place all closed up, and a fire burning? It must be scalding hot in there…_

"I just thought…" Sparkie muttered as he craned his neck to try to see in the windows. "Never mind…" His gaze, however, didn't leave the hut until they were well in the forest.

It didn't take them long to reach Fang, who had his reptilian hands over his nose on the ground, as if he didn't want to burn anything. Sparkie just full out laughed at the poor adolescent dragon, and Thorn gave a small smirk.

Fang glared at Sparkie and lifted one of his claws, sending an uncontrolled flame to catch Sparkie's tail. The lizard's laughter almost instantly turned to shrieks of pain as he frantically blew on his stinging tail. The dragon smiled and it was Sparkie's turn to glare.

"Thorn!" the dragon roared to her, "I'm breathing flames! How do I control it?" His voice sounded nasally, seeing as he was blocking passage to his nose.

She shook her head. "I don't know how, Fang. I do not breathe fire." The dragon gave her a pitiful eye and she looked to Sparkie, who was muttering under his breath as he poked his still throbbing tail. "However, he does."

The lizard's head flung up and he glared at Thorn. "I'm not gonna help _him!_ He burned my wittle tail…" He wined and looked to his tail again, but a pleading growl from Fang caused him to sigh and say. "Okay… fine…"

Suddenly, though, a thought ran through his, and Thorn's mind. _THORN!_ Shadow called frantically, _Thorn, come help! Daddy's… hurt!_

The dark girl's eyes widened as she looked to Sparkie, who stared back at her curiously, _What? How? I'll be there soon. Sparkie, stay here and help Fang._

The lizard, though reluctant, agreed and turned to the dragon, who was curious as to why they had suddenly just frozen. Thorn then sped through the trees, following Shadow's quick directions. _He wasn't with us last night! We hadn't seen him until now. We hadn't thought that he'd be hurt!_

The pegacorn was frantic, and that was almost an understatement. When Thorn reached her, she and her mother were neighing and whinnying like mad. On the ground, breathing heavily, was Shooter, silver blood pouring from a gash on his shoulder.

She sighed and rushed forward, quietly hushing Shadow and Feather. "Shooter, Shooter, shh… shh… It will all be okay…" Thorn said as soothingly as an emotionless girl could. The silvery animal was kicking about slightly in his discomfort, and Thorn knew that, though he loved her dearly, he was in pain, and was dangerous because of such.

Thorn placed herself dangerously by his chest, one of her hands running through his silvery mane to calm him while the other slowly moved towards the deep cut. He stilled himself slightly from her touch, but when her fingers merely grazed the rim of the wound he jolted, his front leg striking her in the stomach.

She flew back with a muffled "oof!" and landed beside Shadow, who made a soft exclamation of worry and bent her head down to her human friend. For the second time in her life Thorn felt the strange feeling of breathlessness without pain and took a moment to regain her composure. Shooter seemed devastated by what he'd done, but, as soon as the Slytherin could breathe again she calmed him. "It's okay," she cooed, "It's okay…"

When the unicorn was calm again Thorn hesitated. She had an idea of what to do, but it was risky… She knew that she had to get Shooter some help, but she didn't know where to bring him. Finally, she decided on bringing him to the stables that Hagrid used to house the school Hippogriffs.

The next matter was how to get him there. She helped him to his hooves, but he nearly fell over, his leg weak. Feather stood on his side, a wing draped over his back and helped lead him away, following Thorn's wake. Shadow walked behind them, glancing over her shoulder timidly, as if searching for whatever had hurt her father.

When they got to the stables Thorn told Shadow to get Midnight to them. The pegacorn called to the obsidian owl and the black bird appeared not long later. Thorn had taken a piece of parchment out of her pocket and quickly scribbled:

_Dear Hagrid,_

_I know this is short notice, but Shooter has been injured. If I may, could I house him in your stables? At least until he recovers. Write back as soon as possible. _

_Thorn Rose_

She tied the note to Midnight's leg and the night hunter flew off quickly, understanding immediately the importance of haste. When she was gone, Thorn turned back to Shooter, who was leaning against Fell now, his wounded side exposed to her.

Knowing the best thing to do, and grateful that she was wearing her robes, she slipped the cover off of her arm. She pulled it inside out and waved her wand, causing a roll of bandages to appear. "Hold still, Shooter… I'm sorry if I hurt you…"

She carefully placed the inside-out cover over the cut, letting the special part of the cloth, the part that put the lost blood back into circulation, against the wound. He neighed in pain, but did nothing more, and she began to wrap the bandage around his form, keeping the cover securely placed on the deep gash.

Just as she finished Midnight reappeared. Thorn noticed that she smelled slightly of smoke as she took the note off of her leg. Ignoring that fact, she unrolled the message and read the untidy scrawl.

_No Problem, Thorn. I'll check up on him everyday. Something in the forest has been killing off the unicorns and I don't like it. _

_Hagrid_

Thorn then saw a burn mark at the base of the parchment. What was in Hagrid's hut? She folded the parchment up and turned back to Shooter, who seemed to be feeling a little better already. _He won't loose any more blood,_ she thought to Shadow as she touched her now bare arm, _He'll be okay. I'll come visit whenever I can._

Then she walked back into the forest, _How are things going, Sparkie?_ She thought to her Daemon lizard.

He ignored her, though. _How is Shooter?_

She sighed, _He's fine. It's just— _She stopped dead, for before her were Bane and Ronan. She gave a respectful nod to them and said, "Hello, gentlemen, may I help you?"

Bane snorted. "That beast of yours is beginning to breathe fire, witch, we are not so sure of him staying." He pawed the ground and tossed his tail about.

The second year was tempted to reply with a sarcastic "Well, Bane, dragon's do usually breathe fire," but she didn't. Instead, as she ignored Sparkie's bombarding thoughts, she said. "He will not be any more of a threat than he is now. Sparkie is teaching him to control it, and Fang will listen to him."

The black centaur gave a harsh laugh. "Sparkie? Wouldn't that be your puny lizard? How does he know of such matters?"

"Bane," a sudden calm voice said, before Thorn was able to respond, "He is a daemon lizard. You know as well as I that they have flaming breath." The Slytherin turned around to see the palomino form of Firenze standing behind her.

The wild centaur snorted angrily and turned to Ronan. "Let's go," he said harshly. The other followed silently and they disappeared.

Thorn turned to Firenze. "Hello again, young witch." He smiled down to her. "I see that your unicorn has been injured. I am sorry."

Thorn nodded. "Yes, but he will be okay, Hagrid is watching out for him, as well as his family and friends." There was a pause, and then the young human said, "Pardon me, Firenze, but do you know what is killing the unicorns?"

He sighed and looked towards the stables. "He is living off of their blood… I believe that you know of whom I speak."

Thorn sighed. "Voldemort…" Why hadn't she thought that before?

He nodded. "You understand more than others, Thorn Rose. I am set against him, and I will fight along side humans if I must. Bane does not understand that. He believes that we can not set ourselves against the heavens, no matter at what cost."

She nodded. "The heavens have been misread before."

He smirked. "You read a lot, correct?"

She smirked. "Indeed."

The centaur chuckled. "Well. I shall meet you again, Thorn Rose, the planets have foreseen it!" Then he trotted off, leaving Thorn to the quiet of the forest and the chaos of her mind.

_WHAT'S GOING ON?_ Sparkie exclaimed for probably the thousandth time. _THORN SAMARRA ROSE!_

_I'm here!_ she thought back, _Sorry, I ran into the centaurs. Shooter is okay, merely a cut. His wound is bound._

_I see… Well, Fang can control his flame, now. We have nothing to worry about… _He paused. _Actually… we might. You'll have to get here. Quick._

Thorn didn't question further. Better act, rather than ask, so she sped to a run and quickly found them. "What's wrong?" she asked in a mutual language.

Fang looked at her, then brought his face close to her side and took a deep sniff. "I smell it here, too!" he exclaimed to Sparkie, who dove into her pocket and pulled out the parchment from Hagrid.

He smelled it and nodded. "This is it!" the lizard screeched as he held it out to Fang, who did the same. "We were right!" Thorn was, for once, baffled. "Where did this paper come from?" Sparkie suddenly asked.

She looked to him, and then growled, "Hagrid's. What's going on, Sparkie."

He leapt up in excitement. "Yes! I knew it!" He stuffed the parchment back in her pocket and said, "Hagrid has a dragon!"

This caught Thorn completely off guard. She had never told Hagrid about Fang, and the half giant didn't come into this part of the woods, so he hadn't found him. She'd known that he'd always wanted a dragon, that had been why he'd never been told about Fang. She was as stunned as she could be. "You're joking…" she half said, half asked.

Sparkie shook his head. "No! I heard it making noise in the hut! And Fang and I could smell it in the smoke coming from his fire!"

The Slytherin sighed. "This is _not_ good."

"Can't you just train it like you did Fang?" Sparkie asked.

She shook her head. "No. I can not let Hagrid know that I can speak to dragons, and he will not keep it well hidden. He doesn't understand that…"

Sparkie sighed and agreed. "Come on…" Thorn said. "We have to get back to the castle. It's dangerous here, more dangerous than it has been." Sparkie dove into her pocket and she ran a hand down Fang's head. "I'll be back. Watch out for Shooter…"

While they walked back to the castle, Thorn's right hand found her arm and she unconsciously rubbed the length that the cover would usually conceal. She felt awkward without the familiar black cloth clinging to her skin. She felt, at the least, exposed. To set her mind at ease she moved her hand to clutch her amulet. At least she still had that comfort to hold onto.

When she got to the castle the first person she happened to run into was Celestial. She let a small sigh of annoyance pass through her lips, for all she wanted to do was go to her dormitory to get a spare cover. "Hi, Thorn!" the Gryffindor called. She ran to her friend, and, at once, noticed something wrong.

"Where's the cover?" she asked immediately. It had become so accustomed to see Thorn with it on that, even though her arm was down and generally unseen, it was quickly noticed.

Thorn shook her head. "Sparkie accidentally ripped it," she lied, though she knew that the only way Sparkie could rip it was if he bit it, for his claws were too weak. How could you bite something on accident?

Well, Celestial didn't seem to notice that, because she said, "Oh, okay…" Her eyes never moved from Thorn's left arm, as if she was waiting for her robes to disappear so she could spot what the Slytherin was hiding from the rest of the world.

Thorn, however, was not about to share. She cleared her throat and said. "Yes, well, now I must go get my spare." She gave a short nod and said, "See you at dinner, then."

She then left Celestial in the entry hall and quickly sped to her common room. She raced through the nearly empty chamber and up to her dormitory. Luckily, the three others were not there. Thorn threw open her trunk and dug to the bottom to get one of her many spare covers. Almost gratefully, she pulled it over the pail red dark mark, and surveyed her arm. Giving a sigh of relief she descended the stairway and entered the common room. She stopped dead, though, as Malfoy entered with a malicious laugh.

"What's so funny, Draco?" Thorn asked harshly.

The blonde first year turned sharply, as if he hadn't noticed her in the room. He smiled and said, "Let's just say, Rose, that the oaf, Hagrid, won't be here much longer." He laughed again and went to his dormitory. Then Thorn realized why he'd been so hasty when he'd entered the castle earlier.

_He's seen the dragon…_

At dinner that night nothing interesting happened. Celestial obviously hadn't told Maken or Cade that Thorn had spent even a moment without the cover, for neither of them asked her about it. After that they headed back to their common rooms. As she and her roommates changed to their pajamas, Thorn heard Dreara give a short gasp. "What happened, Rose?"

"What?" she asked. Her shirt was off and she was about to pull on her nightshirt. She looked to where the other three girls' attention was centered and gazed at the large, black and purple mark on her stomach. Sparkie, who had been perched on her night stand, glanced up to her and screeched.

"What happened?" he babbled, "Who did this to you? It was Maken, huh? He did this to you, didn't he? I'm gonna kill him! He'll never know what hit him! I'll—"

Thorn silenced him by tossing her day-shirt over his little form. "Nothing," she said as she pulled her night-shirt on. "A spell didn't work for me and it backfired." Sparkie fought his way to get through the black cloth and looked up to her. Antonette and Phillis didn't question further, they merely continued to get dressed. Dreara, however, gave Thorn a suspicious look. She clearly knew that Thorn was not someone whose spells suddenly didn't work for.

Luckily, though, her fellow Slytherin didn't press for answers and merely changed as well. _What did happen, Thorn?_ Sparkie's voice cooed in her head as she finished dressing and pulled the curtain to her bed around them.

_Shooter accidentally kicked me,_ she replied as she crawled under the covers. Sparkie followed suit and curled up at her side. _That isn't our problem, though…_

Sparkie sighed deeply as sleep began to take him. _Hmm?_

Draco Malfoy, wonderful little imp that he is, knows about the dragon…But Sparkie didn't reply, for he was already snoring loudly.


	28. Plan Successand Failure

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter Thorn Rose would already be included in the series...**

**Author's Note: Look! I updated! Now, the real question would be, how many people actually read this story? I dunno, cause they don't review! Just kidding. Hehe, anyways, I hope you enjoy it! **

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Plan success—and Failure

Thorn decided to have Sparkie keep an eye on Hagrid's dragon, while she and Severus continued to watch Quirrell and Harry. Thorn decided that it was safer she watch the professor, seeing as she wasn't about to let her uncle get hurt by anything again. The absence of the little lizard, however, did not go unnoticed.

"Where is Sparkie, Thorn?" Maken asked one afternoon at lunch. It had been a week since the dragon had hatched and, according to Sparkie, the reptile was three times as large. "I haven't seen him in, God, it seems like ages."

Thorn glanced to Piper, who was glaring at her over her shoulder and shook her head. "He's just… tired more often. I guess its stress." And before Maken could ask what kind of stress a lizard could be under she stood and left the hall.

She began to walk to her next class, but as she reached the fourth floor she heard rushed voices outside the hospital wing. "What if she recognizes dragon bites, though, Harry?" She froze dead, mid step as she registered the voice as Ron Weasley's.

"Ron! It's too serious! I told you this morning that if it got any worse I'd drag you here if I had to! Its _green_, Ron! Green! That's not any better, now get in there!"

Then the door to the hospital wing closed and Thorn rolled her eyes. _Sparkie…_ she thought, as agitated as an emotionless being could be, _By any chance… did a young boy get bitten by Hagrid's dragon last night?_

_Huh?_ The lizard's bored voice replied. _Oh, yeah, that red-haired kid…_

Thorn sighed. _Thanks for letting me know…_

_No problem,_ he replied, obviously having missed her sarcasm.

That night Thorn was sitting in her common room, reading one of her many books. She had discovered that it was a fairly good idea to sit in the common room when you wanted to know something, like what exactly Malfoy was planning on doing with his information about the dragon. Sparkie was back in Thorn's company, because, they discovered, the dragon could very well smell small reptiles, and while he had been attached to Hagrid's boot to keep eye on the little guy, he'd almost gotten his head bitten off.

It turned out that sitting in the common room that particular night was a good thing. The entrance to the room swung open and the blonde form of Draco Malfoy came in. He seemed happy about something, and he opened a book that he'd been carrying, revealing a folded piece of parchment.

_Sparkie… _The Slytherin hadn't even had to finish her though, for the lizard was gone in an instant, perched invisibly next to the note that the blonde sneak was reading. Thorn sat in silence, acting as if she hadn't noticed, nor cared, about what the first year was doing, while she let Sparkie's unfamiliar feelings slightly pass through her consciousness. She caught a hint of suspicion, and then surprise before Sparkie darted back to her.

_He knows!_ the lizard exclaimed, and Thorn rolled her eyes, for she'd know that already. _And that's not all! That Ron kid's brother is going to pick up Norbert!_ At a strange look from Thorn he clarified, and then continued. _That's the dragon's name. Anyways, Saturday at midnight, at the tallest tower! _

The impassive girl looked over her shoulder once again to the arrogant child in the corner, watching as he snickered nastily and refolded the piece of parchment. "Hello, Draco," she said nonchalantly. "What is it you've gotten there?"

He jumped when she spoke and quickly stuffed the paper into his robes pocket, being anything but inconspicuous. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He quickly replied as he stood and practically ran to his dormitory.

"Well…" Sparkie lowly hissed, "He's sounding a little… Quirrell-ish, don't yah think?"

Thorn gave an empty chuckle. "Oh yes, he's even hiding something. Or trying to." She smirked down to the lizard, who snickered. "Well… We'll make sure that Draco doesn't get away with anything. We'll be there, too."

Sparkie sighed. "_Another_ out-late mission?"

Saturday night Thorn sat crouched down low, hidden beneath her invisibility cloak waiting in the hall that one had to pass through to get to the tallest tower. Sparkie was perched on a suit of armor down the hall, prepared to alert her if the blonde first-year was on his way. He would constantly complain, but Thorn didn't let him leave. _You need to tell me of his coming so that I can make sure that he gets caught._

He sighed, but then was suddenly silent. _He's coming, Thorn! He's coming! Get ready!_

She didn't need to be told twice. She wrapped the invisibility cloak around herself tighter and moved toward the other wall, along the way bringing a very fine wire. Then she sat low on the opposite wall, holding it taunt. He wouldn't get far tonight.

Soon she saw the blonde form of Draco Malfoy climbing the stairs. He was surprisingly quiet as he wandered the halls. Or, at least, he was until his ankle made contact with the wire and he fell, cursing loudly. Who ever said that muggle tactics weren't useful?

Thorn smirked in the closest thing to pleasure that she could and, with a wave of her wand, made the wire disappear. Just in time, too, because then Minerva McGonagall came speeding up the hall, dressed in her nightgown and a hair net. Thorn sensed Sparkie flying behind the professor and land on her shoulder.

"Mr. Malfoy!" she scolded harshly and Sparkie tried the hardest that he could not to laugh. "Get up off the ground, you! Right now!" She grabbed onto his ear and pulled him up hardly, making him yelp.

"But Professor! Please! I—"

"I will hear no excuses, young man!" she cut him off as she pulled him near the stairs. Thorn nodded and followed behind them. Sparkie was invisible, on her invisible shoulder, keeping his senses open, trying to catch any notion of where Potter was with the dragon.

Suddenly his entire form went rigid, and Thorn knew that he'd found them. _Up against that far wall…_ he muttered in her mind as Minerva exclaimed, "Detention! And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how _dare_ you—"

_I smell the dragon… And some of its food…_ "You don't understand, Professor," Malfoy was trying to explain. "Harry Potter's coming—he's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish!" _They're invisible…_ "How dare you tell such lies! Come on—I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"

Thorn gave a short nod as she stopped, beginning to sense the presence of them. There were… two? Maybe, and the dragon of course. She shook her head, and began down the staircases again, where she could still hear angry voices ahead.

She made it to her dormitory in thirty minutes, having to go to the deepest dungeon from the tallest tower. Sparkie was absolutely giddy about Malfoy's detention, and that Severus would be informed of his misbehavior. It was a good night…

Until the next morning. The Slytherin made her way up to the Great Hall, Sparkie perched on her shoulder, unable to wait for his morning dose of bacon. However, as they passed the hour glasses, all thoughts of the juicy strips (or most) flew from his mind with a gasp. "Woah…"

Thorn, her attention caught by the suddenness of how his was grasped, stopped and looked up to the glasses as well. Her emotionless eyes looked over the rubies in Gryffindor's glass. They were down one hundred and fifty points. This could only mean one thing. "The idiots got caught…" Sparkie sighed, but had to agree.

The following week seemed hectic for the Gryffindors, mainly Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and the dumpy child, Neville Longbottom. It seemed that the three of them had been caught in the act as well, however the reason that Longbottom had been out was beyond her, at least until she spoke to Severus that Friday.

"The three of them were caught out-and-about Saturday night," the Potions Master said idly as he graded reports from the fourth-year Ravenclaws. "Along with Draco Malfoy. I cannot believe that insolent boy, falling for that incredulous story created by Potter…"

Thorn shook her head. "Potter spoke truth, Severus. He, indeed, had a dragon." This caught her uncle's attention, and his black eyes turned to gaze up to her, "It was Hagrid's. Apparently he was ridding the thing, sending it to Romania."

Severus shook his head. "Hagrid had a dragon? That man will do anything for any dangerous creature. I am amazed that he hasn't yet discovered yours."

His niece gave an empty smirk. "Indeed. It seems that I have kept Fang well hidden. I just wonder when their detentions will be, and where, at that matter." She then looked to Sparkie, who nodded, and said, "Well, I am due in the forest, to look after Shooter. He's healed well, and I have to take his bandage off." She stood and lightly kissed him on the cheek before she turned and left.

He sighed and ran his hand through his midnight black veil. "Thorn… You have become your mother. All you need is her emotion."

Thorn walked into the hippogriff pen not long later, Sparkie flying around in the warm air happily, spreading his wings in the sun, leaving a Sparkie-shaped shadow parallel to him on the green grass. As he gallivanted about the sky his impassive friend tended to the unicorn in the stables.

"You've healed well," she said as she began to unwrap the bandages. He neighed in delight and threw back his head. "Steady," Thorn said as she held his snout down, "Let me finish." Soon she saw the black spot of one of her Covers under the binding. Carefully she peeled that away as well and the gash that had once been a horrid wound was no more than a mere cut, a small sliver of silvery blood dried within the skin, helping it heal.

With a bland smirk the Slytherin stepped away, "Go on and run. You no longer have the constricting wraps on you." She had hardly finished her sentence and Shooter was over the fence and out into the forest, neighing happily as he sped off. Then a soft weight on her shoulder announced the arrival of Sparkie.

"He's happy," he stated, and Thorn nodded.

"He's lucky to be alive."


End file.
